XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors
by PRAKNASTY
Summary: With the attacks beginning without warning, follow the XCOM project as they attempt to thwart the alien invasion. I don't own XCOM or any of the characters presented within this story.
1. The Invasion Begins

**Chapter 1: The Invasion Begin**

Munich, Germany was a very busy place early on this late February morning. Everywhere one looked they could see people hurrying about on their way to work or school, whatever the case may be. Little did any of these people know that their lives would change drastically in just a few moments.

Without warning several projectiles fell from the sky and impacted at various points throughout the city including the central plaza, train station, bus depot, and other tall skyscrapers. The citizens were shocked to say the least, they had received no warning about any meteor showers in the forecast so they approached the objects with immense curiosity. The objects themselves appeared to be fairly large rectangular boxes made of metal. The objects also held two long cylindrical rods that stuck up from it acting as antennas that were periodically flashing green. After awhile four legs sprouted from the objects and rooted themselves into the ground.

As the civilians continued to observe the objects them immediately opened and revealed several green limb-like objects that reached out and grabbed several onlookers who were too slow to react to the sudden attack. As they were sucked into the machines, panic immediately spread throughout the crowds as they tried to evacuate the areas too their homes and businesses. But, more projectiles fell from the ground and immediately started dwindling the amount of people down to only a few thousand. Those lucky enough to escape witnessed larger ships coming down and several humanoid creatures coming to collect the ensnared victims in the beacons.

== Several Hours Later ==

By this time the military was responding as best they could to the attacks as they had no idea what to expect from these alien invaders. All that they could determine was that these were definitely hostile and could be killed on sight. The recon team sent into the central plaza consisted of four soldiers as well as the helicopter pilots who were escorting them to the initial attack site. Before the helicopter could safely land it was hit with several plasma blasts that took out its tail rotor sending it into a concussion inducing tail-spin. As it rapidly approached the ground the commander sent out an urgent mayday request that was picked up by the command center who prepared to send more reinforcements as the helicopter impacted the ground.

Both pilots were killed upon impact as they suffered numerous broken bones and severe internal injuries. The remaining four squad members left the crash site to try and set up a perimeter to defend against the assailants until reinforcements arrived. The members of the squad were however not ready for the aliens next course of action. Before any could react two were dragged away and viciously attacked while the two remaining soldiers fled to the large warehouse north of the crash site. Upon initial inspection it seemed as if the building was clear but, it was not as it appeared. Without warning a larger humanoid creature with veins appearing around its skull and larger purple eyes gave off a purple wave of energy that assaulted the squad commander who couldn't resist the psionic attack on his mind. Within moments his eyes also turned purple as he raised his assault rifle and gunned down the last remaining member of his squad before he could react.

The command center was in shock at seeing one of its squads taken down so efficiently and quickly after arriving at the attack site. Seeing that it would be highly unlikely that another squad would fare much better against these superior forces the military advisors gathered and decided to immediately notify the XCOM project that they would need their help in defeating this foreign foe.

== At XCOM's Secret Base Location ==

"Commander we have recently been informed of an alien attack on the city of Munich. Several civilians were captured and taken by the aliens before the military could respond to the threat. When they arrived at the scene they were effectively taken down within moments of arriving. Germany has requested that we swiftly respond to this attack with a squad of our most capable soldiers. Don't let us down Commander." Before the Commander could respond to the council's request the connection was severed and he chose to head to central command.

"Central Officer Bradford are the soldiers ready to embark?" asked the Commander.

"Sir, they are loaded up and the skyranger is leaving the hangar as we speak." replied Bradford, a thirty year old Caucasian male hailing from Tampa, Florida. Although he can be headstrong he was a loyal person which is why the Commander chose for him to head up central command.

"Good. Notify me when they reach the target area, I would dearly love to see them in action."

"Understood sir." replied Bradford as he proceeded to stare at the screen tracking their progress across the map.

'I hope they can repel these attacks it appears we have a tough opponent on our hands. Godspeed my men.' thought the commander as he called upon Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen from the research lab and engineering labs to come and join him with Bradford.

As he waited, the commander observed the base in its entirety noticing its various areas including the barracks, engineering lab, research lab, central command, and containment facilities. The base's location was only known to a few privileged members of each government that were a part of the council that approved the XCOM project. It was actually located underground in an abandoned cornfield in Omaha, Nebraska. Nobody ever thought to look there for some reason as most citizens were busy watching the College World Series, or the Nebraska Cornhuskers games to pay much attention the abandoned site. The council itself consisted of sixteen nations that believed an extraterrestrial attack was possible and secretly sent its elite soldiers to be trained to combat this threat. The countries involved were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, China, Japan, India, Australia, Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria. Other countries sent their soldiers to help the cause, but weren't full members because they didn't have the monetary support to lend to the growing project.

As he finished his retrospective look at the base both Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen arrived in the situation room.

Dr. Vahlen was a thirty-five year old brunette woman standing at 5' 8" who hailed from Munich, and was considered the top biological scientist in the world. She was the obvious choice to lead the research department as she completed numerous enhancements to the combat armor the troops now wore.

Dr. Shen was a fifty-five balding Asian man standing at 5' 9" who originally was from Tokyo, but moved to the United States to pursue robotics and engineering. He was appointed the head of the Engineering lab after successfully designing a robotic drone that could assist the soldiers in combat, however his preliminary tests were unsuccessfully and the thing wasn't combat ready.

Dr. Vahlen was the first to speak, "Commander, I have finished decoding the transmission from the helicopter's black box."

"Excellent! Do we have any idea as to what attacked them?"

"Unfortunately no, we were unable to identify the creatures. But we can tell that they were requesting backup before they were attacked by the aliens."

"Thank you doctor. Dr. Shen has there been any progress with the combat drone?"

"Sadly no, the drone still doesn't have enough power to control the weapons we have attached to it. We'll have to find some power source to solve this problem. Also, I just finished building the new upgrades to the combat armor. They'll be distributed to the troops tomorrow."

"Thank you doctor. Let's check on Bradford, the troops should be there shortly."

The group approached Bradford as he finished briefing Delta squad on the situation they were walking into.

"Bradford are the troops ready?" asked the Commander.

"Yes sir, they are about to exit the skyranger now."

"Excellent! Let's see what our soldier can do!" exclaimed the Commander as the troops descended the ramp and looked on at what remained of the earlier attack.


	2. Operation Devil's Moon

**AN: Hey guys, hope you liked the first chapter. This is my first time writing Fan fiction and I just hope that my attempt is at least enjoyable to some readers. Also, sorry I don't know how to insert line breaks. Reviews and comments are always welcome. Now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own XCOM or any characters presented in the story. The names of the soldiers are just some that I threw together at the last moment.**

**Chapter 2: Operation Devil Moon**

As the soldiers disembarked from the ramp they took notice of the damage caused by the earlier attack. Debris littered the street as well as a logjam of vehicles that were abandoned when the attacks registered to the civilians. All four soldiers waited for Bradford's confirmation before moving out, as he was notorious for wanting to take in the scene before acting upon anything.

Delta squad was one of the first squads formed when the XCOM project was secretly created three years ago. However, this was their first mission as there was no need to use them and alert the world to the project's existence before now. Nevertheless the soldiers had built up a massive level of teamwork and camaraderie with one another. All four were itching for a fight, but at the same time knew the risks associated with the missions that they were going to be tackling. The squad consisted of the following members:

Chris Richardson (Delta 1)

Age: 25

Height: 6' 3"

Ethnicity: African American

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Branch of Service: Army Rangers

Javier Rodriguez (Delta 2)

Age: 27

Height: 6' 3"

Ethnicity: Latin American

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Branch of Service: Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic

Mikhail Sokolov (Delta 3)

Age: 22

Height: 6' 7"

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Russia

Branch of Service: Spetsnaz

Kimiko Murakami (Delta 4)

Age: 23

Height: 5' 10"

Ethnicity: Asian

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

Branch of Service: Japan Self-Defense Forces

All four slowly moved forward as they approached the helicopter wreckage to check for survivors. As they expected both pilots were dead and none of the soldiers were present as they had been briefed by Bradford beforehand. The squad snaked its way through the traffic looking for any signs of life friendly or hostile. The four saw the warehouse and one of the artifacts at the end of the street and decided to head in that direction. Delta 4 stopped at the lone police vehicle present as she heard moaning coming from in front of it. She noticed it was one of the recon soldiers who had been stabbed across his forehead with a claw-like weapon and had been shot in the gut with what appeared to be an energy-based weapon. The soldier unfortunately passed on as he was already too far gone for medical help. Delta 4 reported her findings to Bradford.

"Central I've discovered one of the recon team."

"Is he going to be any help to us?"

"Negative sir he has already passed on. We'll keep scouting ahead to locate the other members."

Suddenly a frightened and haggard voice rang out over the radio grasping everyone's attention.

"Hilfe!"

"Delta Squad who is that?"

"No idea sir there is nobody within our sight lines."

Dr. Vahlen decided to enter the conversation, "Based on the strength of the transmission, I would say that it came from the warehouse directly in front of you. It's the only logical explanation."

"Roger that doctor." responded Bradford.

"Delta team move forward and secure that building we need that person alive."

"Understood sir. Let's move out guys." stated Delta 1 as he returned to the squad leader role.

The team continued to approach the warehouse as they approached a bus stop bench where they found another body of the recon team. It appeared that he had been eviscerated as portions of his stomach and lower half were missing entirely. Delta 2 decided to report the findings as Delta 3 chose to throw up and had to sit down for a moment.

"Central we found another body, but the strange thing is he appears to have been dead a week. We may want to study him for more information."

"Understood Delta 2 proceed to the artifact to analyze it."

The team approached the artifact and quickly realized that they had no idea what it was. They had been informed of its abilities by Bradford, but that still didn't answer the question as to how or why the aliens used them in the first place. Either way that had to press forward. The team reached the warehouse and Delta 1 lined up the left against one of the windows, while Delta 2 and Delta 3 were positioned to the left and right of the door. Delta 4 had taken up a position on the right next to the window on that side. She noticed the third member of the recon team's body and reported it to Bradford. Realizing that it had been caused by a soldier's weapon he chose to warn them about the final member.

"Delta team the leader of the recon team killed his final team member in what appeared to be a moment of sheer insanity. We have no idea as to his mental stability so when we gain eyes on him do not approach. Now move."

Simultaneously all members of the squad enter the warehouse and took up the first cover they saw. Delta 1 had jumped through the window and had positioned himself behind a pallet of crates. Delta 2 had kicked in the door and taken up cover behind a small metal cart next to the pallet. Delta 4 had jumped through her window and made it to another metal cart similar to Delta 2's across from him. Delta 3 had followed Delta 2 in and had taken space behind a wooden sawhorse in the middle of the room where he spotted the team leader standing in what appeared to be a state of shock.

At this moment Dr. Vahlen tried to communicate to him in German. (Since I don't speak German or Dutch I will write the conversation in English.)

"Hello, we were sent here to rescue you."

"Help me!"

"Are you injured? Why did you attack your teammate?"

"Help me!"

"It appears he is in shock Bradford."

"Understood doctor. Delta 3 move in and disarm him, carefully."

Delta 3 moved towards the soldier who was still holding his shotgun in his right hand and a fragmentation grenade in his left. Delta 3 moved the hanging light bulb towards the man's face. He quickly realized that he had no irises and his eyes had a purple hue that trailed behind him. It took a second, but Delta 3 realized that the same creature that they were warned about had taken control of the poor soldier and forced him to kill his teammate.

"What the fu..." was all Delta 3 could mutter before the soldier shot him point blank in the chest with his shotgun. He then proceeded to release the hammer on the grenade immediately blowing himself and Delta 3 into tiny blood pieces.

Before any of them could react the creature responsible had fled out the back door while two smaller humanoid creatures started attacking the other three soldiers. Delta 1 was unfortunately out flanked and shot in the face with a plasma rifle before he could react. Simultaneously Delta 4 was suppressed by the other creature and couldn't move for fear of getting shot. Their conversation with Bradford went something like this:

"Delta 1 and 3 are down we need backup now damn it!" exclaimed Delta 4.

"Sir we are taking fire from multiple x-rays, what are your orders?!" asked Delta 2.

"Damn it, Delta 2 you're flanked to. Move to the other side of that machinery and take out the enemy suppressing Delta 4!"

Delta 2 immediately sprinted to the press that Bradford had indicated and had put down the enemy with four shots from his M4A1 assault rifle. Delta 4 was now free to move out from her cover.

"Delta 4! Move to the cover Delta 2 was just at but don't let yourself get flanked." ordered Bradford.

Delta 4 moved quickly and realized that she couldn't hit the enemy with her rifle as it had jammed. Realizing this she quickly released a fragmentation grenade which blew up the cover the alien was behind. The smoke cleared to reveal that the alien had been turned into a bloody pulp as well. Realizing that it wasn't over yet the two waited for the counterattack. Before either could react Delta 4 had been shot in the back of the head and spine as the last humanoid revealed himself from behind the other side of Delta 2's cover. Realizing that she was already dead Delta 2 outflanked the enemy and took him down with another 4 shots of his weapon. Realizing that the rest of the warehouse had been cleared he radioed to command.

"Central I think that's it. It's over."

"Understood Delta 2 secure the bodies of your comrades, the recon team, and the aliens and report back to the skyranger. Central out."

As the communication was finished Rodriguez moved to secure the bodies and brought them all back to the skyranger. After strapping himself back in he came to the realization that he was the only survivor and he'd never see his teammates again. Rodriguez started silently crying as the ship took off back to base with him and the bodies in tow.

== Meanwhile in the Command Center ==

"Damn it! We just lost a squad of our best men!" shouted Bradford as he threw his headset against the wall.

"Calm down Bradford. You didn't know this would happen." responded Dr. Shen.

"He's right Bradford none of us could've predicted this." replied Dr. Vahlen.

"Sir, what do we do about this?" asked Bradford who quickly regained his composure.

The Commander was sitting in shock as he just watched three of his best men be killed. He quickly sobered up and realized the severity of the situation and gave orders accordingly.

"Bradford, we're going to need to rebuild Delta squad. Promote Rodriguez to squaddie and see what weapon type he is best suited for. Also, fold squaddie Endo in from Echo squad, and recruit two new soldiers to complete the team. I want dossiers on my desk in two hours."

"Roger that sir." replied Bradford.

"Dr. Shen, see if you can get the new body armor and medical kits mass produced we're going to need them. Then focus on that battle drone because we now know that they mean business."

"Right away Commander." responded Dr. Shen.

"Dr. Vahlen, get your team together and start an autopsy on the aliens I want to know what we're up against. Also, see if you can find out more about their energy weapons, they may be useful to use in the future."

"I'll begin immediately Commander." replied Dr. Vahlen.

"Everyone is dismissed!"

As they all scurried off to complete their tasks, the Commander sighed and went back into his office. He sat pondering the outcome of the battle and how this seemed like it would take a lot longer than expected to win this war.

'I certainly hope that we can win this war. I would hate to think about what would happen if we lost to these aliens.'

He then proceeded to go to his sleeping quarters to take a nap as the entire situation had taken a lot out of him. Before he finally slipped into unconsciousness the commander had one last thought run through his mind.

'What do these creatures want with us?'


	3. The New Guys

**AN: Hey guys I'm back. Been barreling through finals week and that's been conquered. Now I'm free to write again at my leisure but I figured I'd give you guys a heads up about when I'll be posting new chapters. I'll more than likely post on Fridays and Saturdays because those are my days off from work. Other than that I'm glad to see a few people reading my story and I'm glad to make just one of you guys happy. Anyway enough of this let's move on to the next chapter. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The New Guys<strong>

The Commander awoke from his slumber a bit more refreshed, but was still troubled by the failed assault that almost wiped out his strike team yesterday. After he showered and got ready for the trying day ahead he was still pondering the attackers' motivation at attacking innocent civilians when he arrived at his office. He noticed the dossiers on his desk and he meandered over with his cup of coffee and proceeded to glance over the newly composed Delta Squad which was renamed Strike One. The four members of Strike One included:

Javier Rodriguez (Squad Leader)

Age: 27

Height: 6' 3"

Ethnicity: Latin American

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Branch of Service: Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic

Rank: Squaddie

Specialty: Heavy Weapons (Heavy for short.)

Riku Endo (Second in Command)

Age: 25

Height: 6' 4"

Ethnicity: Asian

Hometown: Osaka, Japan

Branch of Service: Japan Self-Defense Forces

Rank: Squaddie

Specialty: Support (Medic)

Chin Mal Han

Age: 21

Height: 6' 2"

Ethnicity: Asian

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Branch of Service: Republic of Korea Armed Forces

Rank: Rookie

Specialty: N/A

Eric Roberts

Age: 21

Height: 6' 4"

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Branch of Service: None, Civilian Shooting Champion

Rank: Rookie

Specialty: N/A

The Commander was happy to see that two members of the new team were already promoted and had found out their weapon and class preferences. But he was shocked to see that one of the new members was a civilian with no military experience before being recruited into the XCOM program. He would have to go down to the barracks later to watch the team train together, but first he decided to go find Rodriguez and talk with him.

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><p>== At the Memorial Wall ==<p>

Javier Rodriguez was an emotional wreck since returning from the first mission. He hadn't gotten a decent night sleep and decided to go clear his head. He was walking around the workout area in the barracks when he noticed something that had recently been added into an empty adjacent room. He entered and saw that it was a memorial wall that included his squad members' names, photos, their date of death, and their hometowns. Rodriguez silently began weeping as he mourned his comrades and he softly pledged to them that he would get the bastard who did this to them. This was the scene the Commander happened upon when he caught up to Rodriguez.

"Javier, I had a feeling I'd find you here. How are you holding up?"

"Commander it's good to see you, I'm not doing well but I'll get there eventually."

"I'm here to give you some information about your new squad, you're being given Sq. Endo from Echo squad, Rk. Han from the South Korean military, and Rk. Roberts a civilian shooting champion from the USA."

"A civilian are you sure about this sir?"

"Bradford knows what he's doing while recruiting, he must have seen something special in this guy to bring him in."

"Okay sir, who's going to be squad leader? Endo or myself?"

"You are Javier. In fact, I'm promoting you to Corporal so that way you're the de facto leader. You have the most combat experience and also good leadership qualities. I noticed that when you and Murakami were fighting for your lives."

"Thank you sir I'm honored by your choice. However, can I request a favor?"

"Sure Javier, what is your request?"

"If we have a lead on that bastard who did this to my friends, I would like to have my squad be the one to take him down."

"Request granted, now hurry off to the hangar. The new guys will be here and you have to get them settled and over to the training area for weapons and tactics training."

"Understood sir. Will you be watching the training?"

"Of course Javier, I want to see how these rookies will mesh with you guys."

"Okay then I'm off sir. See you at the training grounds."

"Take care Javier."

The Commander stood and looked at the Memorial as Rodriguez left to pick up his squad. He looked over the names and had a thought run through his head before he left for the training area.

'I hope this list doesn't become too extensive before we can end this invasion.'

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><p>== Skyranger heading towards XCOM Headquarters ==<p>

Six new recruits were being transported to the XCOM headquarters for their basic training in weapons and tactics. The flight had been ongoing for a few hours now and there was still about two hours left before they would be landing in Nebraska. The rookies were conversing amongst themselves to pass the time except for one who was deep in thought. His name was Eric Roberts and he was wondering what he had gotten himself into.

'All of these guys have military experience, what are they going to say when they find out I'm just a civilian. Ugh this is so troublesome, glad I was asleep for most of the flight. I still can't believe they attacked so suddenly. Glad my aim was so spot on, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now.'

He was brought out of thought as another recruit had made a joke and gotten the others to bust out into laughs. Said recruit was Chin Mal Han who was the comedian of his squad back in South Korea, and was putting his outgoing personality to work making the ride more enjoyable for everyone. He then noticed the sixth recruit off by himself and he had a quick thought.

'This guy has been asleep most of the time. I wonder what his story is? Let's ask him, after all who knows I might be working with him in the future.'

Han had no idea how right his was with that thought, but he proceeded to talk to the silent man and the others soon quieted down to hear his story.

"Yo, quiet guy what's your name?" asked Han.

"Eric Roberts, what's yours?"

"The name's Chin Mal Han and I hail from Seoul, South Korea. Where you from?"

"Baltimore, Maryland, USA. You served in the military right? That's the Republic of Korea Armed Forces right?"

"Yeah good eye man. What about you? You seem to know a lot about the military."

"Nope, I was actually a civilian before all of this went down."

Han stopped for a moment and gawked at Roberts along with the other four recruits. Here was a civilian being brought into a military program with other soldiers with more experience.

'How is that possible, he has no combat experience what so ever.'

His interest piqued, Han decided to continue his questioning of the man now known as Eric Roberts.

"How'd you get recruited into this, I thought only military personnel were allowed into this program?"

"Well, it all started when Baltimore was attacked at the same time as Munich. I had just returned from a shooting competition in Washington D.C. when they attacked. Everyone around me was being captured so I took off with my bags and found a building to hide on and proceeded to unpack my rifles. When any of those fuckers approached I took them down and I held out until the soldiers from XCOM got there. They were impressed to say the least and they were told to offer me a spot in the program because no civilian had ever been able to defeat one of these things let alone five of them. So I packed up my clothes and weapons and I got on the Skyranger and slept until well after you guys got on. And well here we are."

The others were shocked to say the least. Here was a mere civilian who not only survived an attack but took down several hostiles before backup arrived. Han was very impressed and saw the quiet man in a new light.

"I think they made a wise choice in recruiting you. You've already got experience fighting these things and I'd be honored to have you on my team. Please join our conversation we'd love to know more about you."

Roberts was surprised that he was accepted so easily, but gladly joined the conversation. The rest of the flight passed as the recruits got to know each other better. Roberts learned about the others and their back stories before they reached the hangar and everyone disembarked and waited for their orders to go to training and settle in.

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><p>== With Rodriguez ==<p>

Rodriguez had gone back to his room and changed into his uniform before heading to the mess hall. He found Endo enjoying his lunch where he informed him of the Commander's assignment for them.

"Hey, Riku what's up? How's the chow?"

"Hey, Javier not much. It still sucks but hey what you going to do about it? Why are you here normally you're working out at this time?"

"I just had a conversation with the Commander and he informed me that I'm the new squad leader for Strike One."

"Congrats man, who's in it?"

"Well you're me second as I'm now a Corporal, and we've got two new guys coming in today that we're going to train in weapons and tactics."

"Awesome I'm glad to mold new minds, and I'm happy to work with you. What're their names?"

"Rookies Chin Mal Han from the South Korean military, and Eric Roberts a civilian shooting champion from Baltimore, Maryland, USA."

"A civilian?! Are they going mental or something!?"

"Calm down Riku! I read his file it looks like he fought off and killed several of those creatures before we arrived to liberate him."

"Wow, I need to see this for myself. When do they get here?"

"Five minutes, let's go get them. But you should probably change first, you got mashed potatoes on your shirt."

"Damn it! Be right back."

After Endo changed they both walked down to the hangar to pick up their new soldiers. Both were having the same thought as they arrived.

'I hope this guys are ready. I'd hate to die because they freeze up or fuck up.'

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><p><strong>AN: There you go guys Chapter 3 was the longest one to date. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll see you guys next Friday. Remember to follow, favorite, or leave a commentreview it's all appreciated. This is The Nasty One signing off.**

** - PRAK**


	4. Training and Another Attack

**AN: Hey guys! It's that time of the week again. Here comes the next chapter for "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Hope you guys enjoy, and remember to follow, favorite or review, all actions are welcomed. Now let's jump right back in.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Training and Another Attack<strong>

Cpl. Rodriguez and Sq. Endo entered the hangar to find all six recruits happily conversing amongst themselves while they were speculating who would be their new squad leaders. Roberts was the first to see the two approach and gave them his undivided attention while the others quickly followed suit and stood at attention. Rodriguez and Endo both stood there for a few moments looking the recruits over just to make them sweat because they already knew who they had in their squad, but they wanted to mess with the new guys a little bit. Roberts meanwhile was unfazed by their intimidation tactic because he was always scrutinized his entire life so he was used to the intense glares from the veterans. It was another few minutes before Rodriguez broke the silence.

"Will rookies Han and Roberts step forward please."

Han and Roberts complied and stood in front of their fellow recruits wondering what was going on, as Rodriguez continued to speak.

"My name is Cpl. Javier Rodriguez and this is my second Sq. Riku Endo. We are the two current members of Strike One formerly known as Delta Squad. My three teammates were killed during the Munich attack and you two will be filling out the new squad with Endo and myself. We are going to take you guys down to the Barracks where you can drop off your bags and then we'll go to the training grounds for weapons and tactics training. As for the rest of you your squad leaders will arrive shortly. Please follow me you two."

Both Roberts and Han were happy that they would be working together and quickly followed after Rodriguez and Endo through the labyrinth that was the XCOM base. They eventually reached the Barracks where they dropped off their bags in their rooms, which were next door to both of their squad members, before they headed off to the training grounds. As they were leaving Roberts noticed that there were two other empty rooms in their hallway and wondered why they were there. He'd ask about it at the training grounds.

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><p>== At the Training Grounds ==<p>

The Training Grounds themselves included firing ranges, classrooms, large areas used to conduct battle simulations, and also a secret area that was barricaded off from the other areas. The area itself was enough to accommodate five squads simultaneously but was empty when Strike One arrived. Rodriguez had led them over to one of the classrooms where he figured they could get to know each other better. In his experience, Rodriguez had discovered that camaraderie always improved teamwork so he wanted to start off on the right foot with these guys. He then spoke to them for the first time in the past couple of minutes.

"Alright you two Endo and I are happy that we get to work with new people and show you two how to fight these creatures as a team. But before we started we wanted to get to know your guys' stories. We already know some of your background, but we wanted to know what life was like before the attacks. Roberts you can start."

"Well, I was always picked on growing up because I was always the weakest and shortest in my age group. Because of that everybody always made me the outcast and underestimated me. But during my senior year of high school I went to a shooting range with my dad and realized that I was pretty good for a beginner. As we went back I started to improve by leaps and bounds until I was the best one there. I decided to enter a shooting competition and I won which lead to me picking it up as a profession instead of going to college. I eventually had a growth spurt and filled out as the years passed and everything was good until the attacks. I'm sure you guys know of my actions during the Baltimore attack so I'll just leave off here."

What Roberts said was true as Rodriquez had read his file, Han had heard the story in the skyranger, and Endo was actually in the squad that liberated Roberts. At the time Endo was treating the civilians with injuries and hadn't noticed Roberts until he got back and Rodriguez informed him of the situation. With his turn finished, Rodriguez nodded in Han's direction indicating it was his turn to speak.

"I enlisted in the military when I graduated high school, because I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. After awhile I began to enjoy the routine and began to see this as a viable option for my life. I also began telling jokes to help my squad relax because they were always so serious when interacting with one another. I was labeled as the resident comic and I enjoyed the role that allowed me to be the center of attention. When the attacks started, I managed to get my family to the safety of the barracks where I was stationed and volunteered myself for this project so that way I could protect them from future harm."

"Good to hear that, I think we're all going to get along just fine. Are there any questions you guys have for us before we begin training?"

"I have a few." said Roberts.

"Go ahead ask away."

"What happened to your teammates if you don't mind me asking."

Rodriguez winced at the question because it was still a sore spot for him, but he decided that talking about it would help him heal so he told them about the mission. Afterwards they were silent for a few minutes allowing the story to sink in until Roberts broke the silence.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I can tell that you really miss those guys."

"It's okay, I figure that talking about it will help lessen the pain so I let you guys know."

"Good to hear your emotional state is improving. My next question is for Endo. What is your story? I figure it's only fair that you should share since all of us have."

"Fair point I'll enlighten you guys about my past. I was originally a low level drug dealer back home in Osaka. I made a living like that until I was busted with a whole shit ton of pills, and Cocaine. To avoid jail time I volunteered to join the military. After training there I was found to have a good knowledge of medicine so I was trained as the medic for my squad. I was so good that the XCOM team saw me during one of their recruiting visits and offered me a post here. I accepted and was placed in Echo Squad as their medic. After rescuing you Roberts, I was informed by Rodriguez that I would be folded into this squad to fill the final spot of this four man team."

"Thank you for answering Riku. My last question is why were there two other empty rooms in our hallway at the Barracks?"

"That's easy to explain." replied Endo. "Once the squad has enough experience they will assign more soldiers to fill us out to a six man squad. Those rooms would be for the new members who could be rookies recruited by Bradford, or soldiers from the other squads who are added to our team."

"Thanks for the answers. That's all of my questions, Chin do you have any?"

"No, I'm good Eric. What's our next step as a squad Javier?"

"Well, now we'll warm up with some calisthenics, then we'll do an accuracy test with the standard M4A1 assault rifle. Then we'll give a lecture on the different enemies and missions we'll do, and then we'll finish up with a battle simulation. Any questions?"

There was silence from the two rookies, as Endo spoke next.

"Alright, now you guys must take this seriously because we don't want to get slaughtered when we go out into the field. I also don't want you guys to freeze up and make a mistake because I'd hate to see any of us go home in a body bag. Now let's get going."

The squad began their training for the next five hours as the other squads eventually showed up and started their own training. Unbeknownst to anybody multiple individuals were observing them from the observation room above the grounds. The Commander, Bradford, Dr. Shen and Dr. Vahlen were all observing the squads training, but the Commander was intensely focused on Rodriguez's squad. He was happy to see that the rookies were meshing nicely with the veterans. He was also able to see that the rookies were excelling in the areas he expected them to. Roberts was more accurate as he hit all of his targets, while Han was better up close and at flanking the enemy soldiers in the simulation. The Commander expected them to flourish when in the field as they followed all of Endo's and Rodriguez's orders and advice without question. He turned to the others as the squads continued to train below them.

"Bradford, you made an excellent choice in putting those two with Endo and Rodriguez. Their teamwork is off the charts, and their personalities complement one another nicely."

"Thank you sir. I was hesitant with the civilian, but my gut said take a chance so I went with it."

"Glad you did, they'll be working together for awhile. On to other matters, how's the research going Dr. Vahlen?"

"Well, we've designated these creatures as Sectoids. They appear to be smaller humanoid versions of ourselves, that act as foot soldiers with a small aptitude for psionic attacks. They also use mind control on each other to help strengthen themselves and signal which target to attack. I'd recommend capturing an alien to find out what it knows about its superiors."

"Understood doctor, you can begin research on the Arc Thrower which will be used to capture the aliens. Dismissed."

"Right away Commander."

As Dr. Vahlen left, the Commander turned back to Dr Shen.

"Dr. Shen I would like for you to build a containment facility to house these captured aliens. We can't have them running around the base unsupervised. Also, how comes the battle drone and the tools I asked for earlier?"

"Well Commander, the drone is still in development as we haven't solved the power problem yet. Also, the medical kits and armor have been fully manufactured and placed in the Barracks with the soldiers weapons."

"Thank you Doctor. You're dismissed to begin on the construction project."

"Understood Commander."

As. Dr. Shen left the Commander and Bradford went back to watching the soldiers train when an alarm went off throughout the base. The alarm got everyone's attention and everyone wondered what had happened. All of a sudden the alarm was replaced by a female voice saying the following:

"Commander and Bradford to the Command Center. Commander and Bradford to the Command Center there's been another attack."

"Fuck, let's go Bradford!" exclaimed the Commander as they hustled down to the command center where a technician brought up the image of another attack this time in a construction yard located in London.

"Bradford, prep the skyranger I'll go and retrieve Strike One. It's time for a Baptism by Fire."

"Understood Commander. Big Sky get ready to go you're leaving in ten minutes."

"Yes sir. I'll be ready."

* * *

><p>The Commander went back to the Barracks where everyone was at rapt attention waiting for information on the situation.<p>

"Listen up everyone there's been an attack in London. It appears it's another abduction as they're mainly targeting civilians. I'm sending in Strike One to combat the threat. Everyone else can do what they want, but you're more than welcome to come down to the Command Center to watch the confrontation. Javier you have ten minutes to get your squad prepped and in the skyranger before leaving. Understood?"

A unanimous cry of "Yes, Sir!" was heard as the Commander left for the Command Center. Rodriguez led the team down to the Barracks as they all changed into their uniforms and picked out their equipment for the mission. Rodriguez wore the new body armor the engineers had made under his uniform and carried a M249 SAW light machine gun and the RPG-7 rocket launcher with him, as he was a Heavy. Endo was wearing the standard uniform of green and tan also, with a medical kit attached to his leg, as well as the M4A1 assault rifle and the Five Seven semi-automatic pistol. Han and Roberts both wore the vests under the standard uniforms and carried the M4A1 assault rifle. The only difference between them were their pistols. Han carried the Five Seven like Endo, while Roberts had a .44 Magnum as it was his personal weapon he brought with him to the base. The squad approached the skyranger and strapped themselves in. Once they were secured the pilots lifted off and headed towards the abduction site.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so ends the newest chapter in "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Don't forget to review and or comment on the chapter as I appreciate the thoughts of everybody. Tomorrow will bring the next chapter in this saga. Until then this "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** -PRAK**


	5. Operation Falling Peace

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry I was a little late today due to procrastinating on Christmas shopping again. But, I finally managed to upload so enjoy the newest chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Operation Falling Peace<strong>

The flight to London was a quiet one for Strike One as they approached the latest abduction site of the aliens now being referred to as the "Ravagers". Each member of the squad was lost in their own collective thoughts as the flight dragged out. Rodriguez was praying that his squad would survive the attack, as he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time he faced the Ravagers. Endo was busy triple checking his equipment and silently wondered if the rookies were prepared enough for their first encounter. Han was worrying that he'd screw up and cost somebody his life, but then reassured himself that he had enough training to combat the alien threat. Roberts was meditating and listening to "Audience of One" by Rise Against on his IPod Touch that he had placed in his vest before leaving the base. His thoughts consisted of getting payback on the aliens that had attacked without warning and cost the lives of countless civilians already. They were all broken from their thoughts as Bradford briefed them on the situation over the speakers in the skyranger.

"Okay Strike One listen up. We're touching down in a construction site deep in the heart of London. The civilians have already evacuated the area so you will only be encountering hostile targets. Watch each other's backs out there and come back safely. Central out."

Rodriguez was the next to speak as the skyranger started its descent.

"Remember your training, and everything will be okay. Spread out and watch yourselves out there, because these aliens are dangerous and will stop at nothing to take us down. Good luck."

The skyranger touched down, and the four soldiers quickly disembarked and took cover behind some concrete pipes as they waited for the order from Central to advance any further. The pilot then lifted up and radioed back to Bradford for the go ahead.

"Central, Strike One is ready to move out. Requesting permission to deploy."

"Understood Big Sky. Reading you five by five, Strike One has the green light for deployment. Watch your backs out there people. Central out."

* * *

><p>== At XCOM Command Center ==<p>

The Commander, Bradford, Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen, and the other squad leaders were sitting at the conference table watching the team begin their advance into the construction site. They were soon joined by one of the other rookies who had arrived with Han and Roberts earlier that day. She had decided to forego the rest that had been offered and wanted to see how those two would fare in their first encounter with the Ravagers. Her dossier is shown below:

Name: Emily Blunt

Age: 24

Height: 5' 10''

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland

Branch of Service: Royal Regiment of Scotland

Specialty: N/A

Squad: Unassigned

Blunt is a fiery individual when in combat, but is a prankster at heart and loves to crack jokes with her teammates and fellow rookies. Unfortunately she was unassigned to a squad because all the others were currently filled. But, she had been allowed to train with the other squads earlier that day. She had grown attached to the two rookies of Strike One as she found them to be two cool individuals to hang around with. Han was almost as enthusiastic as she was with jokes, and Roberts was the grounded, level-headed person who kept them in line and out of trouble. As she grabbed a seat at the table she listened to Bradford give the order to advance, and silently thought one thing to herself.

'I hope that everything runs smoothly, I'd hate to lose a friend so shortly after meeting them.'

* * *

><p>== Back with Strike One ==<p>

Rodriguez gave them the hand sign to advance, and the four man squad slowly entered the construction yard. There were tools and abandoned construction vehicles littered throughout the yard, as if they'd been hastily left behind in people's panic to escape the invaders. Unfortunately, not all of the workers were lucky as five bloodied bodies covered in what appeared to be green ectoplasm were scattered among the debris. One body had been decapitated with his head a few inches from his body. Another two had been shot in the back as they tried to escape the attackers. The other three were disemboweled and just inside the gates as if acting as a warning sign to deter others from entering the yard. The silence was broken as Han threw up behind the bulldozer, and Roberts commented on the situation.

"Those fuckers will pay for this! What kind of sick bastards would do this to innocent civilians?!"

"I have no idea Eric, but its revolting to think about, or view." replied Han as he bent over to throw up again.

"That's enough you two. Riku check on Chin and make sure he's good. Stay sharp we're moving towards the foreman's trailer."

They were once again engulfed in silence as they advanced towards the trailer that once belonged to the foreman of the yard. Roberts and Han took up positions on either side of the door as Endo was positioned under the window next to Han's position against the door. Rodriguez had taken up position behind a dump truck, behind the others with his attention on the door intending to let loose on anything that appeared in his field of view. He gave Endo the signal and he peeked into the window revealing three Sectoids who were standing over the body of the foreman. The three Sectoids noticed Endo and fired a reaction shot that destroyed the window and sent glass shards into Endo's face.

"Ahhhhh! My eyes!" shouted Endo as he fell back clutching his face as blood was running down his face and staining his uniform.

"Shit, Han grab Endo and get him back here!" shouted Rodriguez.

Han immediately complied with the order as Roberts dove behind a bulldozer across from Rodriguez's position. Rodriguez immediately loaded his RPG-7 rocket launcher and unleashed the projectile which disintegrated the building's wall and door. When the smoke settled all that was seen were three dead aliens with their green blood staining the floor. As Rodriguez started trying to treat Endo, three more aliens appeared behind Han and Rodriguez. Seeing no other options, Roberts immediately fired off eight shots from his M4A1 assault rifle, connecting with two of the aliens sending them careening backwards with matching head wounds signaling their deaths. The other Sectoid charged at the soldiers while Han pulled out his Five-Seven and dispatched the alien before it could get too close.

Roberts and Han quickly performed a perimeter check and realized that the aliens had been removed from the premises as they reported their findings to Central. Realizing the battle was over, Rodriguez escorted Endo back to the skyranger and went to work on stabilizing him. Having passed out from his wounds, Endo would need immediate surgery to try and keep him alive. Several of the shards were embedded into his eyes, rendering them useless. While the other shards had nicked his jugular and he was slowly bleeding out from his wounds. After the skyranger was boarded, the pilot immediately took off to bring them back to the base. The soldiers hoped they could keep Endo alive. They didn't want to see their comrade die.

* * *

><p>== At XCOM Command Center ==<p>

After Bradford was informed of the mission's success, he immediately ran to the infirmary to prep it for Endo's return. The others were sitting in silence as they pondered the results of Strike One's latest mission. The Commander was pleased that the mission was a success, but was worried about Endo's condition. Dr. Vahlen was upset at the gruesome deaths of the civilians at the enemy's hands. Dr. Shen was in thought about how he could improve upon the medkits to treat more serious injuries. The other squad leaders were impressed with the teamwork that the squad showed during the firefight, but they were upset about their comrade's injury as well. They had known Endo from the beginning, and were upset at the fact that his life was now in jeopardy. Blunt was also impressed by her friends' performances during the mission. She could see that they worked well together, and they had both kept their composures when their teammate had been wounded. She would never let Han live down puking at the bodies, and was also worried about Endo's wounds. The Commander then spoke gaining everybody's attention.

"Everybody thank you for attending this mission viewing. I must say that your comrades fought very well, but the aliens are still not ones to be trifled with. Take extra care in training so that way everybody can come back to base in one piece. Rookie Blunt please remain behind so I can speak with you. Everyone else is dismissed."

The other individuals took their leave as Blunt approached the Commander to hear what he had to say. She was wondering what the conversation would entail, as she hoped that she would be paired with two of her closest friends amongst the soldiers. Her thoughts were interrupted as the Commander spoke.

"Emily, the reason I had you stay behind is because I wanted to inform you of your new position. There is no doubt that Endo's injuries are career ending and as such there will be a vacancy on Strike One. With this vacancy now being present, I would like for you to fill it as the fourth member of the squad. You seem to get along well with Eric and Chin, so you should have no problems with joining the team. Do you have any questions for me?"

"What makes you so sure that Endo won't be able to fight anymore sir?"

"Well, his eyeballs were severely damaged by the glass shards from the window. Besides, even if they could be saved he won't have the will to go out and fight again. Most soldiers that suffer severe injuries don't retain their will to face the enemy again. Because of this I'll be discharging Riku from the project if he recovers from his surgery. Any other questions?"

"Negative sir. Thank you for the assignment and I promise I won't disappoint you."

"Good to hear Emily. Report to Javier when they return and have the others show you to your quarters. No doubt they'll want to rest after having this traumatic experience happen to them. Dismissed."

* * *

><p>Blunt quickly headed down to the Hangar as Strike One arrived back from their mission. As the ramp descended, a medical team of four doctors and nurses quickly retrieved Endo and rushed him into emergency surgery as the others looked on solemnly. All three of them held a silent prayer as they watched him enter the operating room. That was when they noticed the fiery, redheaded rookie approached from the Command Center.<p>

Han and Roberts both smiled and greeted Blunt as they had become fast friends with her on their flight into the base. Rodriguez likewise greeted Blunt, but his expression was downtrodden as another of his squad was injured in front of him and he felt powerless to stop it. It was then that Blunt spoke informing him of the situation.

"Cpl. Rodriguez, I've been informed by the Commander that I'm being placed into your squad. Would you kindly show me to the Barracks so I can get settled in with you guys?"

"Nice to meet you Rk..."

"Blunt, sir. Emily Blunt."

"Rk. Blunt. You can just call me Javier and I'll gladly have these two show you to our quarters in the Barracks. I myself am going to the observation deck to watch over Riku's surgery and then I'll go give my mission report to the Commander. Get some rest guys and I'll talk to you guys later. Dismissed."

Han and Roberts both took Blunt down to the Barracks after they dropped off their weapons for cleaning and repair at the Armory. The three conversed happily on their way there, but Roberts and Han were silently praying that Endo would survive his wounds.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go guys, the latest chapter in this XCOM saga. I'd like to remind you guys that reviews, comments, favorites, and follows are always welcomed. As long as one person continues to read this story then I'll continue to post up chapters. Until next time, this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	6. Specialized Training and a UFO Encounter

**AN: Hey everybody, it's that time of the week again. I hope everybody had a great holiday. Here is the next chapter of "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Specialized Training and a UFO Encounter<strong>

Rodriguez had found his way to the observation area of the infirmary where he was watching the medical team addressing Endo's injuries. The Commander soon joined him to watch, and also to talk with Rodriguez to get his mission report. The Commander also wanted to see how he was holding up with the trauma his squad went through on the last mission. Rodriguez noticed the Commander had arrived and began the conversation with him.

"Commander it's good to see you sir. I'm assuming you'd like my mission report for Operation: Falling Peace."

"Yes, Javier that's part of it. But I'm also here to check on Riku and see how you're doing after the events of the mission."

"I'm doing okay sir. I just hope that my squad isn't cursed or something. Because it seems that every time we go out on a mission someone either gets hurt or dies. I don't think I could handle that if that was the case."

"Don't worry Javier, these things that happened are just bad luck. Nobody knew that Riku would get hurt on that mission, it just happened. Don't beat yourself up about it, because you've got three young soldiers you need to look after."

"Agreed sir. It looks like Riku's surgery is complete. Should we go ask how he's doing?"

"He probably needs his rest Javier. Let's get your mission report then we'll go check on him later."

"Okay sir. Well here goes."

* * *

><p>== Barracks ==<p>

Blunt, Han and Roberts had just arrived back at the Barracks where Strike One's rooms were located. Blunt was in the process of moving into one of the empty rooms in the hallway with Han and Roberts' help. She was happy knowing that she would get to work with her two best friends in the project and couldn't wait to go out on a real mission. She could see that her friends were less than happy about their teammate's condition, so she decided to lighten the mood at Han's expense.

"Hey Chin. I thought you were a big tough guy, but you sure were scared."

"No I wasn't Emily!"

"Yes you were, you practically threw up all over yourself! Hahahahahahaha!"

Han turned bright red at that comment as Roberts and Blunt were on the ground holding their stomachs in laughter. He decided to one up her, and they exchanged insults with each other for a good ten minutes. It was a good way to break the tension as all three rookies were laughing it up with one another. At that point they decided to go grab a table in the Mess Hall and eat together for the first time as teammates.

* * *

><p>== Infirmary ==<p>

"How's he doing doctor?" asked Rodriguez after he finished briefing the Commander on the mission. The Commander saw that Rodriguez would get better in a few hours so he allowed him to go check on Endo, even though the Commander already knew that he wouldn't be fighting anymore.

"Well, he sustained a great amount of puncture wounds to his eye sockets and eyeballs rendering them useless. He'll never be able to fight again, let alone see anything again. I'd recommend coming back tomorrow so that he can get some rest, as he's still out of it from the anesthetic we gave him."

"Thank you doctor. I'll be back tomorrow after my team's training session."

Rodriguez then headed down to the Mess Hall to meet up with his team to tell them about training tomorrow. When he arrived, he saw that Han and Blunt were still trading barbs between one another as Roberts was watching in amusement as he saw Rodriguez approach.

"Hey Javier, how's it going?"

"Not good Eric. Listen up guys I got bad news."

"What's wrong sir?" asked Han and Roberts simultaneously, as Blunt already knew what it was based on the Commander's conversation with her earlier.

"Riku isn't coming back to the squad. He's been rendered permanently blind from his injuries. They'll be sending him home when he recovers probably."

"Well that certainly puts a damper on things." replied Han as he looked down at his plate of spaghetti. Blunt gave him a hug to cheer him up as Roberts nodded in understanding of Rodriguez's words.

"Is that why Emily is with us now sir?"

"That's correct Eric, she will be training with us as the fourth official member of the squad. The Commander already knew about Riku's injuries so he assigned her to us to fill his spot. The plus side is that you guys already work well together so we won't need to focus on tactics training. However, we still have specialized training tomorrow, so show up at 0900 hours and don't be late."

"Understood sir!" said all three rookies to their squad leader.

"Sir, what's specialized training?" asked Han. He was curious because he'd never been informed of the training that they did at XCOM other than the basics he'd already experienced.

"It's a surprise. Well I'll see you guys tomorrow, enjoy your dinners and don't stay out late."

* * *

><p>== Training Grounds ==<p>

The next morning all three rookies were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their squad leader for today's training session. All three were excited to find out what specialized training would be taught to them while they were in the project. Rodriguez arrived just as the clock struck nine to start their training.

"Alright guys, gather around. I have some good news for you guys. Chin and Eric you guys are being promoted to Squaddie for your guys' performances during the mission yesterday."

"Alright!" and "Awesome!" were the two cries that arose from Han and Roberts respectively, as Rodriguez and Blunt applauded them for their good news.

"Because of this you guys can start receiving your specialized training. Han you'll be following the Assault class training as you excel in close quarters combat, while Roberts will be doing Sniper training because of his accuracy at long ranges. Any questions?"

"What will we be learning sir?" asked Roberts.

"Well, you'll be learning how to use the Barrett .50 Caliber sniper rifle, and practicing Headshot training. This is when you place your gun on your arm to steady your aim before firing at your targets. Han you'll be learning to use the Remington 870 shotgun, and practicing Run and Gun. This will allow you to fire after moving a larger distance compared to us. Now both of you go off and start practicing."

As the two newly minted Squaddies went off to their new training, Rodriguez turned to address Blunt.

"Unfortunately Emily you can't participate in the new training until you participated in a mission and have been promoted to Squaddie. So I'll be training you in weapons and tactics to get you caught up to those two by the time they finish their trainings."

"Understood Sir, let's get started then."

The next day went this way for the members of Strike One. Roberts and Han had finished learning their new trainings, and had rejoined Rodriguez and Blunt. Rodriguez had gone back to visit Endo with the others and they all wished him well as he was shipped off back to his hometown in Japan. The four then went back to training by participating in simulated battles to test their teamwork, and they did well. The other squads were envious of their level of camaraderie, as no matter what they did they couldn't match the level that Strike One had already established. During this period of four days no other abductions or contact had been made by the Ravagers. This concerned the members of XCOM as they had no idea what to expect from the Ravagers as their next course of action. As the fifth day of training started, the tranquility of the operations was broken as an alarm had sounded in the base.

"Commander to the Command Center! Commander to the Command Center! UFO spotted over the United States!"

The Commander had heard the alarm and moved to the Command Center where he found Bradford and some technicians analyzing the satellites' images. They confirmed that it was indeed a UFO and dispatched a fighter to intercept it before it escaped. The fighter managed to catch the small UFO over the New Mexico desert and shot it down fairly quickly after two missiles hit the alien craft and sent it careening into the desert floor.

"This is Voodoo 3-1 confirming downing of the alien craft. Returning to base."

"Roger that Voodoo 3-1 good job out there." replied Bradford as he observed the crater where the craft had hit, and he found it still intact.

"Switch the satellite to thermal view, and zoom in on the crash site."

Bradford and the Commander both noticed that the aliens in the craft were still moving around and decided to send in a team to dispose of them before they escaped.

"Bradford get Big Sky up and running. They'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"Understood sir. Who are we sending to combat the threat?"

"Strike One of course. Also, tell Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen to meet me in the Conference Room so we can observe the operation. Meet us there after you're done."

"Roger that Commander. Let's move people!"

The Commander made his way down to the Barracks and found Strike One already getting suited up for combat.

"Damn you guys must have ESP or something! I haven't even gotten down here yet and you're already getting ready."

"Well I told them that you'd probably send us in, so we started getting packed up."

"Good move Javier. Anyway, there's been a UFO crash out in New Mexico, and you guys are going in to dispatch the crew that survived the crash. Be careful and come back safe. Also, any of the other soldiers are allowed to come join us in the Conference Room to observe the mission. Dismissed!"

With that the Commander left and Strike One finished preparing their gear and boarded the skyranger destined for another confrontation with the Ravagers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go guys that's the next chapter. Will they be able to handle the aliens at the crash site? Find out next time on "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Remember that all comments, reviews and PM's are welcomed. I enjoy hearing how you guys feel, and will accept any criticism or praise that you guys have. Also, feel free to follow and favorite the story to show your support. I'm happy that the story has reached 100 views. It isn't much but it's good to hear that somebody is reading my first story. Anyway until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	7. Operation B A and Operation S O H

**AN: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter for XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors. Hope you guys enjoy. Also, I still don't own anything in the XCOM universe.**

**Chapter 7: Operation Burning Arrow and Operation Sliver of Hope**

The skyranger carrying Strike One was already within an hour of landing in the New Mexico desert to secure the crash site of the fallen alien craft. Strike One meanwhile was going over the information of the mission amongst themselves as the Commander had already briefed them before they left. Rodriguez was still outfitted in the standard uniform complete with the Nano-Fiber vest, M249 SAW light machine gun, and the RPG-7 rocket launcher. Roberts and Han had the same outfit as Rodriguez, but had changed their primary weapons. Roberts now carried the Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle and was listening to "Spoilin for a Fight" by AC/DC, while Han had been equipped with the Remington 870 shotgun. Both of them still carried their sidearms from Operation Falling Peace. Blunt was dressed in the standard female XCOM uniform, and was equipped with a medical kit, the M4A1 assault rifle, and the Five Seven semi-automatic pistol. All four were now deep in thought as the skyranger began its descent.

The skyranger landed in a pretty barren portion of the desert where there was no tree coverage, and no buildings as far as the eye could see. Strewn throughout the desert was pieces of the hull that had come loose from the impact with the ground. The intact UFO was over the next ridge from Strike One as they received the go ahead from Bradford to begin the assault. Rodriguez had begun to come up with a plan of action for the squad to follow. He decided to have Roberts stay atop the hill using the Sniper rifle to cover their advance towards the craft's front door. As they approached the ridge, they peeked over to notice that two of the Sectoids were patrolling the outside of the craft, waiting for an attack. Rodriguez gave Roberts the nod as he lined up the shot to take one of them out. Roberts took the shot and hit the first alien dead in the chest causing him to keel over, with green blood flowing from his body. The other Sectoid realized his comrade was done for and let out a scream to alert the other aliens before Roberts ended him with a shot to the head. The others quickly ran to the door before the other aliens could react and opened the hologram with a wave of the hand. When they peered inside they saw a whole bunch of computers and what appeared to be the cockpit where the aliens could control the craft from. Before they could take in any more of the surroundings they were assaulted by two more Sectoids, and a third creature that materialized out of thin air holding a Plasma Rifle that was stronger than the Plasma Pistols carried by the Sectoids.

== At the Conference Room ==

Bradford, the Commander, Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen, and the other four squad leaders had gathered in the Conference room to watch Strike One's assault on the alien craft. All present were impressed with Roberts dead on accuracy, and the plan Rodriguez had instituted to keep them covered moving to the ship with no cover present to hide behind. They were all equally shocked when the creature had materialized out of thin air. Dr. Vahlen was the first to speak.

"Our readings can't be right! If they were, that is a being of almost pure energy."

"Take extra caution with this enemy Strike One, we don't know his capabilities." ordered Bradford as the aliens began to attack.

== At the Crash Site ==

The aliens quickly opened fire on Blunt's position keeping her pinned down, while the new alien fired at Rodriguez's position and destroyed the hull of the ship he was hiding behind. Seeing his friends in trouble, Roberts took a shot and eliminated one of the Sectoids with a shot to the forehead. Han took the initiative and flanked the position of the other Sectoid and finished it with a shotgun shell to the back which instantly severed the spinal cord killing the alien instantly. Rodriguez then moved three steps to his right to hide behind the hull that was still standing, and opened up on the final alien with a barrage from his SAW. The alien quickly dematerialized into crystal fragments that almost all vaporized as soon as they touched the ground. After securing the crash site and seeing as how no more aliens were present, Strike One radioed back to Command signaling a successful mission and got on the skyranger to come home with more weapons fragments, and the crystals from the mysterious creature that had vanished upon being attacked outright.

== At the Base ==

One day had passed since Strike One's mission, and the Commander was now seated in the Situation Room anticipating a meeting with the head of the Council. Apparently, an urgent situation had come up and they wanted XCOM to handle it. As he waited he went over the notes from Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen's labs he had received yesterday after the mission. Dr. Vahlen had finished with the Arc Thrower and had Dr. Shen mass produce it in the Workshop. She also researched the crystals but couldn't find anything noteworthy about them. She had taken to calling the new alien an Outsider because it was strange compared to the others they had encountered. Currently she was working on taking the alien's weapons fragments and turning them into SCOPES for the troops to use. Dr. Shen had finished construction on the Alien Containment facility, and was now working on the new Power Generator and Access Lift to expand the growing underground base. It was at this moment that the Council Leader made his appearance on the big screen television located in the room.

"Commander, we have received an urgent request for a rescue mission of a civilian that was captured by the aliens and somehow escaped. We want you to handle this matter with discretion, and bring her back safely so we can find out more about the aliens motivations in this war. Council Out."

'Damn, he never lets me get a word in edgewise. O well better get Strike One prepared to go.'

"Bradford go to the Conference Room and prepare the mission intel for us. I'll go alert Strike One to the surprise mission."

"Understood sir. See you in a few."

Strike One was currently resting in their rooms back in the Barracks. They were all exhausted from their last mission, and were looking forward to their day off today. Rodriguez was currently reading a book in his room. Han and Blunt were playing "Gears of War 3" in Han's room as he had brought his XBOX 360 from home, and Roberts was currently listening to "Underclass Hero" by Sum 41 in his room. The Commander knocked on each of their doors and waited for them to assemble out in the hallway. After all of them had come out he began the briefing.

"Guys I know this is your day off from last mission, but something has come up that I need you guys to handle."

"That's bullshit sir, we deserve our day off!" replied Han angrily, but Blunt silenced him with an elbow in the ribs before he could rage further. This outburst got a negative head shake from Rodriguez as he gave Han a disapproving look. Roberts however, was unfazed by the outburst and asked the Commander to continue.

"What's the mission sir?"

"Anna Sing is a civilian that was kidnapped by the aliens in an attack on Hong Kong, China. She somehow managed to escape from them and is currently hiding in a plaza located in the city's center. You guys are going to go in and bring her back to the base so we can get information from her, and rehabilitate her from her current condition."

Rodriguez had finished chastising Han, and replied to the Commander.

"Understood sir. We'll be ready in ten minutes for the skyranger to liftoff."

"Good to hear you guys are willing to accept this mission, the Council will be pleased. Bradford and I will be observing from the Conference Room. Good luck guys."

Ten minutes later the skyranger took off for Hong Kong with Strike One in tow. The squad members were all talking amongst themselves as the skyranger left.

== In the Skyranger ==

"Man this sucks, I was enjoying my day off." complained Han. This resulted in a slap to the back of his head courtesy of Blunt.

"You moron, this is a big mission for the council. Maybe we can figure out the Ravagers' intentions for attacking us." scolded Blunt.

"Yeah man, it isn't everyday that the Council requests our help. You just got to go with the flow and do your job." stated Roberts before he went back to snoozing while listening to "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC.

"Fine, but I don't have to like it." said Han as he went back to talking to Blunt about their game of "Gears of War 3". Blunt had been beating Han so he was secretly glad that they had been called away, but didn't show it.

Rodriguez was pleased with his squad and how they handled Han's outburst back at base. Personally, Rodriguez knew that the Commander would have a good reason for calling on them, so he let it slide. Blunt had gotten him to be quiet with physical force, at which point Rodriguez verbally chastised him for speaking out against the Commander. Then Roberts had kept the squad on task by asking the Commander to continue his briefing once things had calmed down. The chemistry between the squad was evident, and he was proud to be able to lead these guys in future missions. The flight dragged on for a few more hours before they landed in the midst of the plaza.

== On the Ground ==

"Okay guys, Bradford said we have to get Mrs. Sing back to the skyranger in order for the mission to be a success. Then we have to eliminate all hostiles before we can leave the area. Any questions?"

Three headshakes were his answer as Strike One approached the plaza. Roberts stayed back on top of a bus on the right side of the squad guarding against flankers. Blunt had gone to the left hiding behind a tow truck, while Rodriguez and Han went right up the center hiding behind the fountain located in the rear of the plaza. Blunt suddenly spotted a human-looking shadow from her position and realized that it was extremely tall, and thin but other than that looked like a regular human. That was until she saw its eyes which were similar to the Sectoids in being pupil less and extremely large. She quickly opened fired on the creature hitting him four times in the chest. The creature fell backwards and emitted a huge cloud of green and blue gas. Blunt assumed this to be poisonous and, went around the cloud to hide behind a delivery truck, where she was pinned down by two Sectoids hiding behind two parked cars. Rodriguez and Han quickly went around the fountain to the cars where they each dispatched a Sectoid with their weapons. However, they failed to notice one behind them that prepared to shoot them as they turned and tried to react. Thankfully Roberts shot the alien in the back of its unsuspecting head sending brain matter onto Rodriguez and Han as the alien fell over. Han promptly threw up, while Rodriguez calmly wiped himself off and prepared for an enemy counterattack while signaling his thanks to Roberts. Blunt had joined them by this time and walked over to some construction barrels and sign that were conspicuously placed in the center of the street. As she approached she heard crying and peered behind the barrels to find Anna Sing. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and was disheveled. Her face was red from crying so much, and her clothes were torn in some areas. As she noticed the soldiers all looking at her she started crying in joy and hugged Blunt.

"Thank you guys so much! I thought I was dead for sure! Who are you guys?"

"My name is Javier Rodriguez, and these are two of my teammates Chin Mal Han and Emily Blunt. My other teammate, Eric Roberts, is providing sniper overwatch from the bus back there. We are a part of the XCOM project sent to rescue you from the aliens."

"XCOM project, I thought you guys were just a myth. Guess the rumors were true. How'd you guys find me?"

"The Council received your distress call and they sent us out to retrieve you and bring you back to our base safely."

"Okay that's great. Let's go before we get attacked again."

"I couldn't agree more Anna. Chin go up the middle to the fountain. Emily go back to the delivery truck and secure the right flank. I'll radio Eric and tell him to pay attention for any aliens that'll pop up. Anna stay with me we're going over to the bus after I alert Eric to not shoot us."

"Okay Javier."

"Move out guys."

As the others moved to their assigned positioned Javier and Anna radioed over to Eric.

"Eric this is Javier come in."

All they heard through the radio was the blasting of "Savior" by Rise Against, indicating that Eric currently was rocking out while providing overwatch.

'Seriously, during a mission. Guess I have to teach him a lesson that he won't forget.' thought Javier as he snuck up on Eric.

'I love that song. This guy sounds like an interesting individual. Maybe I should get to know him since I've already met the others.' though Anna as she followed Javier. She was intrigued by the fourth soldier as she hadn't met him yet, and wanted to thank him for saving her as well.

Eric meanwhile was lying prone on the top of the bus head banging to the music while looking through his scope. He was unaware of his squad leader standing behind him as he had his music up too loud. It was at this time that Javier struck. He jumped right in front of Eric and shouted "BOO!" really loudly and it caused Eric to panic and fall backwards off the bus as he shouted "Holy Fuck!". As Eric regained his bearings, Javier and the others were laughing their asses off at him. It wasn't everyday that the normally stoic Eric got spooked so they enjoyed the moment wholeheartedly. Eric however, was less than enthused.

"What the Fuck Javier! Don't do that it damn near gave me a heart attack."

"Serves you right Eric. Next time leave your music on the skyranger. I can't have you losing focus during a mission and getting us killed."

"Fine, but I still shot that alien that almost got you and Chin while listening to Dragonforce earlier. Now that was impressive considering the loud guitar solos and drum beats."

Javier just face palmed and moved forward to the metal statue in front of the bus. As Eric prepared to climb back up to his nest, he noticed there was another person following Javier. Said person then took the moment to talk to him.

"You must be Eric, Javier told me about you when they rescued me."

"That makes you Anna I presume. I'm glad to see that you're okay. Sorry about my language, but Javier scared the crap out of me with that stunt."

"It's okay I thought it was hilarious. Just pay more attention next time. Also, I'd like to borrow your IPod on the way back because you have the same taste in music as me."

"Sure no problem. Here you go listen to whatever you like."

"Thanks, O I almost forgot."

Anna leaned forward and gave Eric a hug saying that she had thanked the others already, but wanted to thank him as well. This caused Eric to blush as he wasn't expecting to get a hug from such a beautiful person. Anna also had a slight blush that Eric noticed and guessed that she liked it to. He would ask her about it back at the base after the mission and debriefings were finished.

After the hug, Anna joined Javier and Eric was back in his position on the bus. Two more thin aliens then appeared out of nowhere as one was blocking the skyranger from the squad's advance, while the other was perched on top of the delivery truck where Emily was. Eric went into action and immediately dispatched the one on the truck as it exploded in a cloud of poisonous fumes, while Javier took out the one by the landing area with his machine gun. The others quickly ran to the skyranger and got Anna strapped in while Javier and Eric secured the area checking for anymore hostiles. Seeing as how the area was secured and no more aliens were present, they boarded the skyranger with the thin alien bodies for research and settled in while it took off.

== In the Skyranger ==

Emily and Javier decided to catch up on some sleep they missed, while Chin went to the bathroom to wash off the vomit on his uniform. Eric and Anna talked for a bit about their lives before the invasion. Eric learned that she had been an editor for a publishing company back in Hong Kong and that her brother served in the Chinese military. Anna was surprised to discover that Eric had also been a civilian before the war, but had defended himself so well to be accepted into the XCOM project during the first attacks. The two conversed for a while more before Eric decided to go to sleep while Anna stayed up a little later listening to some of Eric's music. She then passed out and snuggled up against Eric for body heat while he subconsciously put his arm around her to bring them closer. This was the scene that Chin walked in on after he came out of the restroom. He was happy for his friend who had a hard time to talking to women on a normal basis, but seemed to be at ease around Anna. He threw a blanket over them and went back to his seat and also fell asleep as the skyranger continued its trek back towards the XCOM base.

**AN: There you go guys, a bonus mission thrown in with the usual mission. Please remember to review, follow, and favorite the story to show your support. Until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.**

** - PRAK**


	8. Down Time and a New Face

**AN: It's that time of the week again guys! Prepare for another entry of the continuing adventures of Strike One in "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Remember all reviews, comments, and critiques are welcomed. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own XCOM or its characters. If I did I'd be able to pay off student loans.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Down Time and a New Face<strong>

The skyranger had started its final approach to the XCOM base as Strike One had stirred from their naps. Roberts was the first to awaken as he looked over to see his arm still curled around the sleeping form of Anna Sing, the civilian they rescued in Operation: Sliver of Hope. Eric blushed as the memories of their conversation came back to him from discussing their past lives, discussing their love of music, and discussing their families. He was convinced that she would definitely be worth getting to know and wondered what would happen to her once they brought her back to the base. The others began to stir so Eric proceeded to clean and disassemble his weapons as the other groggily woke up from their slumbers. The others were greeted to the site of the base as the skyranger finished its landing procedures and they disembarked from the craft. Eric had to stay back to wake up Anna and meet up with the squad in the Commander's office to give him the mission report.

"Anna wake up, we're back at the base." said Eric softly as he gently shook Anna to wake her up.

"Five more minutes Eric." was her response as she rolled back over. Eric chuckled to himself at the scene and tried once again.

"Wakey wakey Anna" said Eric as he shook her a little harder, and her eyes fluttered open. She took a weary look around and was puzzled as to where she was. But, then it came back to her and she smiled knowing that she had reached safety.

"We're at the base right?" Eric nodded the affirmative and helped her stand up from the seat.

"Yeah we have to catch up to my squad so we can give the mission report to the Commander. Then he'll decide what will happen to you since you're here now."

"Okay then let's catch up to the others." replied Anna as they hustled down to the Commander's office.

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><p>== Commander's Office ==<p>

Javier, Chin, and Emily had all given their summaries of the mission as the Commander sat back in his chair taking in all the information. He was silently pondering what to do about Anna, when Roberts and Anna showed up to join them in the office. The Commander nodded towards them and urged them to join the others in front of his desk.

"Eric, Anna it's good to see you both have finally joined us." said the Commander in a joking manner as he made an insinuation that caused both of them to blush, while the others laughed at their reactions. Eric gave them the death stare as he looked back to the Commander and gave him his summary of the mission, including the joke Javier had played on him. The Commander chuckled as he and Bradford had busted their guts when Javier scared him the first time, good times good times. He then nodded and decided to inform them of his decision regarding Anna now that she had been brought back to them.

"Good job out there guys. Now, Anna I'm going to need you to stay behind and tell me everything that happened to you while you were in captivity. You'll then be given quarters with Eric seeing how close the two of you have become. I'll inform the Council of the mission success and give you guys the next three days off, since you've earned them. In the meantime enjoy your break, and then report to the training ground for some more training and a surprise. Dismissed."

The soldiers nodded and proceeded to exit the room, while Anna stayed behind and told the Commander how captivity was for her. She didn't remember much, except for some operating tables, and a giant UFO that she had been loaded onto before breaking her restraints and fled before the ship left. The Commander noted her statement and sent her back to the Barracks to rejoin the squad. He then proceeded to inform the Council of what he discovered.

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><p>== 4 Days later, Training Ground ==<p>

The past three days had been very relaxing for the members of Strike One as they enjoyed them to the fullest. Chin and Emily spent the days playing video games together and Emily won every match sending Chin into a rage because he couldn't win, but they both knew he was doing it for dramatic effect . Emily found it a bit attractive seeing how passionate he was about gaming and was glad to have been paired up into his squad because she also shared a love of video games. Both were oblivious to the mutual attraction developing between them because they were too busy trying to beat the other in their games. Javier had been constantly exercising in the gym and visiting the Memorial Wall in the Barracks. He was still saddened by his teammates' deaths but found talking to them about his current team was slowly helping him mend his feelings. Eric had spent his time with Anna getting her settled into the base with him. He was very nervous as he didn't want to rush things with her, but he was slowly falling in love with her as he spent more and more time getting to know her.

All four squad members were ready to begin training again, as they had been watching their comrades go out and fight off other alien attacks around the world. So far they'd all been repelled, but some soldiers had lost their lives and their names were being added to the Memorial Wall. This made Strike One anxious as they wanted to help their friends and avenge their losses as quickly as possible. Javier had been given a message from the Commander with instructions to not open it until training began, so he opened the letter and read its contents. He then looked up and smiled at the others as he gave them the good news.

"Guys, the Commander as seen fit to promote all of us for our actions against the Ravagers in our last missions. Emily you've been promoted to Squaddie and you'll be given specialized training in become a Support soldier for our squad."

Emily responded with an "Awesome!" as she high-fived both Eric and Chin after hearing the news. Javier then continued with the promotions.

"Eric and Chin you've both been promoted to Corporal which will enhance your abilities within your given specializations. Eric you'll now be able to hit any enemies we can see, and Chin you'll have greater defense against enemies' attacks that you can see coming towards you."

He stopped as Eric and Chin cheered for their promotions and took the insignias Javier handed to them and couldn't wait to put them on their uniforms later.

"Finally, I've been promoted to Sergeant, which will give me an ability to Suppress the enemies, and will allow us to have a fifth person join our squad today."

As he finished reading, he looked up to see the other pondering over who would be joining their squad and couldn't really come up with an answer as they all showed looks of frustration and confusion over failing to find an answer. Javier chuckled loudly as he got their attention once again.

"The person will be arriving later tonight as a rookie replacement for the guys we recently lost against the Ravagers. I'm going to pick up the dossier after training today, and then we'll go pick them up at the Hangar afterwards. Any questions?"

There were three head shakes in the negative as they proceeded with today's training regimen. After mastering their skills, they practiced Conditioning and more teamwork simulations to improve their endurance and refresh their cooperation skills that had been a little rusty from the three day break. Afterwards, Javier sent the others to the Mess Hall to eat as he got the dossier from the Assignment Office in the Barracks. He sighed and opened up the file containing the information of the newest addition to Strike One.

Johnnie Sing

Age: 18

Height: 6' 0''

Ethnicity: Asian American

Hometown: Hong Kong, China

Branch of Service: People's Liberation Army

Rank: Rookie

Specialty: N/A

Javier thought about it for a moment and chuckled at who was the newest member of the squad. He realized that it was Anna's younger brother and knew that this was the Commander's doing. This would give Anna someone to be close to from her family, and it would also allow Eric to get to know her family better, before progressing his relationship with her.

'You never cease to surprise me Commander. Boy won't the others be surprised when they find this out.'

He then hurried to the Mess Hall to surprise the team with the new revelation.

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><p>== At the Mess Hall ==<p>

The others had been enjoying a rather happy dinner, as they discussed their promotions, and the excitement over getting a fifth team member to work with. The food was once again lackluster, but they didn't care because they were in great company and continued to laugh and joke around with another. Javier smiled as he approached them with the dossier in his hand. Chin noticed him first and waved him over.

"Hey Javier! Come over and join us."

"You got the information?" asked Eric, as Javier joined them with his tray of food. Javier nodded and then announced the surprise.

"Our newest squad member is Anna's younger brother, Johnnie." replied Javier as he smiled at the looks of shock he received. The information was too much for Eric as he fainted while the other gawked at Javier, then laughed at Eric's predicament. Eric was going to have to get her brother's approval before he could continue dating Anna, and it caused him to faint from a combination of surprise and nervousness. Javier slowly sat Eric up from his fainting spell and proceeded to wake him up. After he awoke Eric asked if he was serious to which Javier nodded and showed them the file. The others read over the information and Emily had a question.

"Why is he the new member of the squad Javier?"

"Well, this is the Commander's doing Emily. He wanted to bring in someone from Anna's family to cheer her up, and keep Johnnie from being unprepared in fighting the Ravagers."

All three nodded and were impressed with the Commander's insight on the family matters of the people of XCOM. They were happy to know that their Commander carried so much about the people who worked for him. Then Javier continued speaking.

"Secretly, I think he just wanted to cause Eric more problems, by forcing him to get their approval."

Emily and Chin both laughed loudly and fell over holding their stomachs as Eric's face blushed red from a combination of embarrassment and anger. He then proceeded to chase the three of them around the Mess Hall to the amused looks of their fellow soldiers. After they calmed down, Javier asked Eric to go get Anna and meet them at the Hangar so she could be surprised by her brother's arrival.

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><p>== At the Hangar ==<p>

All five met up outside the Hangar and watched as the skyranger touched down and dropped off the four new rookies who would be joining the XCOM ranks. Anna was sitting down on a chair outside the Hangar, and was waiting for their signal to come inside as Eric had said it was a surprise for her to meet their newest squad member. After the other three rookies left with their new squads, Strike One entered the Hangar and walked over to Johnnie who was patiently waiting on the blacktop of the Hangar. He noticed the group approaching him and saluted them until Javier acknowledged him with a salute and had him stand at ease. They then decided to introduce themselves to him. Javier went first as he was the squad leader.

"Johnnie, welcome to the XCOM program. I know you have a few questions but, we wanted to introduce ourselves to you as we're your new teammates. My name is Sgt. Javier "Smokey" Rodriguez and I'm the squad leader for Strike One. I specialize in Heavy Weapons and will be leading us in the missions we go on. It's a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to introduce you to your other squad members." He motioned for Chin to go next as he stepped back in line with the others.

"Hello, Johnnie my name is Cpl. Chin Mal Han and I'm the Assault member of the squad who specializes in close quarters combat. I'm the squad's resident comic and I can't wait to work with you on future missions." Chin signaled for Eric to go next.

"Salutations Johnnie! My name is Cpl. Eric Roberts and I'm the Sniper for Strike One. Unlike the other members of the squad I was a civilian shooting champion before joining the XCOM program. I hope we become friends over time and I can't wait to see you in combat." Eric then waved Emily forward as she was the last member to go.

"Welcome to our humble abode Johnnie. My name is Sq. Emily Blunt and I'm the Support soldier for Strike One. I specialize in medical treatment as well as providing cover for the others when they request it. I hope you enjoy your time here and I'm pleased you were selected to join our squad." Emily finished and signaled to Javier that he could have the floor again.

"Now that you've met us Johnnie do you have any questions for us?"

"Actually, I do have a few. How long have you guys been operating together?"

"We've been together about a month now after my original teammates were killed in the first attack in Munich. I was placed in charge of Eric and Chin with my friend Riku Endo. After he was critically wounded and discharged Emily joined the squad as she was waiting for a place to open up and we've been together ever since." replied Javier as he recounted the squad's history.

Johnnie nodded at the answer and then asked his next question. "What kind of missions have you been on?"

"Well, abductions, UFO sightings/crashes, and rescuing a civilian who escaped captivity from the Ravagers." replied Chin.

"Cool. Eric how did you join the program if you were a civilian?"

"Well I was in my hometown of Baltimore, when we were attacked by the Ravagers. Since I had just gotten back from a competition in Washington D.C. I had my weapons and barricaded myself on a roof. I fought off and killed five of the aliens before XCOM came and rescued me. They were impressed with my skills and offered me a spot in the program."

"That sounds amazing. Good job on surviving."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"No problem. My last question is regarding why I'm here. Do any of you know why I was chosen to be in this program, and in your guys' squad."

The others looked at Eric and smiled as they knew this was the moment he had been dreading since he found out about Johnnie. He sighed and proceeded to fill in Johnnie who was perplexed as to why Eric was informing him instead of Smokey (Javier).

"Well Johnnie, when we went on that civilian rescue mission we successfully rescued the person who was coincidently from Hong Kong just like you. This person was brought back here after the mission and the Commander allowed her to stay here as a safety precaution since the Ravagers were probably looking for said person. This person then became attached to myself and she wanted to start dating me, but we wanted to get your approval before continuing the relationship."

Johnnie looked on in shock as he started putting the pieces together as Eric turned to the door and said "You can come in now Anna.".

Anna entered the Hangar and was overwhelmed to see her younger brother before her as the newest member of Eric's squad. She started crying and ran to her brother and embraced him as she cried out tears of joy saying she'd never thought she'd see him again. The feeling was mutual for Johnnie, as he had heard about his sister's abduction but never thought he'd see her again. The others gave them a moment as they reconnected with each other and got over their shock. Afterwards, Anna went and held Eric's hand as she walked up to her brother and began speaking.

"Johnnie, Eric and his team saved me from the aliens when I was abducted from my work. And over the days I've become attracted to him because we have so much in common including music tastes, TV shows, and books we like. I've never felt this way about anyone before and I would be ecstatic if you would allow me to continue to see Eric as my boyfriend."

Johnnie let all the information sink in as he eyed the two in a thinking pose. He didn't see anything wrong with Eric and observed that he was treating his sister like a fellow human being who deserved all his attention. He'd also never seen his sister so happy before and decided to grant the couple's wish.

"I'll happily grant your guys' wish. You seem to be genuinely happy with one another and I don't want to stand in your way. You have my blessing."

Eric and Anna thanked Johnnie profusely and kissed each other for the first time as the other cheered for their friends happiness. Javier then decided to get everyone back on track.

"Okay guys let's show Johnnie to his room, where he can get to know the base better. Also, I'm sure he can use the time to get to know us all better and learn more about what we do here. Everyone meet tomorrow morning at 0900 hours at the Training Ground so we can get better acquainted in working as a five man team."

The others nodded and gave Johnnie a tour of the base as they headed back towards their quarters for the evening.

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><p><strong>AN: There it is guys the next chapter for our story. Hope you guys are enjoying it as we progress deeper. Let me know what you guys think. I'd like to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year! and I hope it'd a good year for everyone. Until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	9. Operation Rolling Thunder

**AN: Hey Guys! Here's the next chapter of "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". All comments, reviews and critiques are welcomed. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: Operation Rolling Thunder**

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><p>The past two days had been very productive for the members of Strike One for various reasons. Javier, Call Sign "Smokey", had been mastering his Suppression abilities for his M249 SAW. Also, he'd been training the others like there was no tomorrow. Chin and Eric had also mastered their new abilities and were focused on improving their body mass by bulking up in the gym. Emily had finished her medical training and had been approved for using the medical kit when in the field. Johnnie had become acclimated with how the squad operates in the field and was excelling in the simulations the team ran while in the training grounds. The teamwork that Strike One had was now on par with what it was before Johnnie joined the squad.<p>

The personal relationships between the squad members was also going on a positive note. Johnnie had gotten a good layout of the base, and got to know the others on a more personal level. This signified his acceptance into the squad and he was ecstatic about that. Eric and Anna had progressed their relationship to make-out sessions when the others weren't watching. They were quite enamored with one another and were happy that Johnnie was encouraging their relationship. Emily and Chin were starting to realize their feelings for one another, but they were still to chicken to ask the other out. Smokey was happy to see that his squad members were gelling well with one another and was envious to see young love amongst them. He wished he could find the right person for him, but so far he'd had no luck.

While Strike One was training its newest member, the Ravagers had launched another UFO attack that had been shot down. The squad that was sent to mop up the aliens had encountered what was now being deemed a "Floater". This particular alien had a jetpack implanted into its skin that allowed it to hover above the battlefield and attack the soldiers from above. Thankfully no one was hurt, and the aliens were eliminated without posing a threat to the squad. Things were going well with XCOM as they had developed some new weapons that were almost combat ready, and they had successfully repelled all the attacks by the Ravagers. They were enjoying another peaceful day when the alarm sounded throughout the base.

"Commander to the Command Center! Commander to the Command Center! There's been an attack targeting civilians in Johannesburg, South Africa!"

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><p>== Command Center ==<p>

The Commander had hurried from his quarters down to the Command Center where he found Bradford, Dr. Shen, and Dr. Vahlen looking at the screen in horror. On the screen was civilians being cornered and shot down by the Ravagers who were showing no mercy to anybody. Bradford then spoke gaining the others' attention.

"It would appear they're stepping up their attacks. Who do we send in to liberate the civilians?"

"We'll send in Strike One they're the best squad we have, and as such they'll have the best chance of neutralizing the attacks." replied the Commander as he stared impassively at the screen.

"Understood sir. I'll get the skyranger prepped and ready to go." said Bradford as he left to get things prepped.

"Doctors, what are your opinions of the Ravagers' latest attack on us?"

"Well it would appear that they're trying to make this war seem pointless by attacking the civilians. They're aiming to decrease the enthusiasm and morale amongst the troops so that way we'll back off and they can do whatever it is they wanted to do by coming here." answered Dr. Shen.

"I agree with Dr. Shen. The aliens are trying to lower our morale so that way we'll give up without a fight." concurred Dr. Vahlen.

"Well they probably just pissed off the entire XCOM facility. They're going to get a bigger fight than they wanted." replied the Commander as he saw the skyranger leave the hangar, and Bradford reentered the Command Center and was explaining the situation to Strike One.

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><p>==Aboard the Skyranger ==<p>

Strike One was preparing themselves for the upcoming fight against the Ravagers. Roberts, Han and Smokey all had the same deployments as last time weapon, and equipment wise. The only difference was the music Roberts was listening to which was "Underclass Hero" by Sum 41. Blunt still carried her weapons, but instead of having the vest she was carrying a medical kit. Sing was carrying the standard issued M4A1 assault rifle, and the Five Seven semiautomatic pistol. Sing was also loaded up with the Arc Thrower, although he was instructed to only use it against a Sectoid or Thin Man, because they were the weakest of the Ravagers. Strike One was going over the information given to them by Bradford, and were prioritizing the mission objectives. They decided to get out as many civilians as possible first, then they would kill any aliens encountered. The side objective was to capture one of the aliens for Dr. Vahlen so that she would be able to interrogate it to find out what it knew. They were all ready by the time the skyranger descended towards the burning city of Johannesburg.

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><p>== On the Ground ==<p>

As Strike One disembarked from the skyranger they were met with the sounds and sights of chaos. Everywhere they looked they saw people cowering in fear, and burning rubble was littered throughout the area. Off in the distance they heard screams of terror and gunfire from the plasma weapons carried by the Ravagers. They quickly hustled off to what appeared to be a library as they noticed that was where the screams were originating from. Smokey immediately had Roberts provide Overwatch from atop a destroyed bus, while he sent Sing and Han forward to the library entrance. Blunt and himself went down the alleyway to try and outflank any aliens that were out back of the building.

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><p>== With Blunt and Smokey ==<p>

'Please don't let us be too late.' thought Smokey as he and Blunt peeked around the back of the building. They immediately noticed that three civilians were surrounded by two four-legged, purple creatures that had two yellow, glowing eyes. One of the creatures immediately charged at Blunt and Smokey, while the other bit into one of the civilians before charging the soldiers. Both raised their weapons and fired at the creatures. The bullets hit them, but didn't slow them down much because of their crystal skin that absorbed most of the damage. Thinking fast, Blunt and Smokey shot at a nearby car's gas tank which ignited causing the explosion to drop both creatures due to severe burns and the concussive forces from the explosion. They approached the two civilians who were crying over their dying friend, but were relieved to see the soldiers and quickly followed them back to the ship with their friend in tow.

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><p>== With Han, Sing, and Roberts ==<p>

Meanwhile, Han and Sing had opened the doors to the library and saw two Floaters and two Thin Men come charging at them from the depths of the library. Roberts immediately took a reaction shot hitting on the Floater's jetpacks causing it to spin out of control and explode against the wall of the library. Han and Sing each fired at the Thin Men which exploded upon the bullets impacting with their heads releasing their poisonous gas. The final Floater flew up to the roof of the building and prepared to fire down upon the two soldiers. Roberts, realizing the situation shouted to alert them to his presence.

"Scatter guys! He's above you!"

Roberts tried to fire at the creature but found that his gun was jammed. He went to work on clearing it, while the creature fired at Sing. Han dove and pushed Sing through the open doorway as the plasma rounds impacted into his foot causing blood to pour from his foot. Roberts had by this time finished clearing the gun and fired a round that penetrated through the Floater's head sending out green blood and brain matter as the creature collapsed dead on the roof. Roberts ran towards Han and started to apply pressure to the wound as he radioed for Blunt.

"Emily, Chin's been hit and we need your medical kit over here now!"

"We're on the way Eric, just keep pressure on the wound until I get there."

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><p>== In the Library ==<p>

Blunt and Smokey arrived with the civilians as she started to dress and clean out Han's wound. Sing then heard crying from the back of the library and headed off to investigate with Roberts who was holding his .44 Magnum. Both reached what appeared to be a large office and found three more civilians being held at gunpoint by two more Thin Men. Realizing that it was an execution, Roberts got the aliens attention by hitting one with a piece of rubble. The two aliens then started charging at the two of them. Roberts ran up the stairs leading one to follow him, while the other chased after Sing into the Non-Fiction section of the Library. Roberts was able to dispatch his chaser with three shots to the back after he got the drop on it by hiding behind a book cart. He then went and lead the civilians back to the others. Sing meanwhile, was hiding behind one of the bookshelves, as the Thin Man passed by his position cautiously. He pushed the bookshelf over which almost crushed the alien, but it managed to dodge at the last moment. While it was distracted Sing snuck up behind it and shot the 50,000 volt Arc Thrower into the creature's back. The alien immediately seized up and passed out from the electricity passing through its system. Sing immediately tied up the alien and dragged it back to the others.

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><p>== Back with the Others ==<p>

The group had just strapped the civilians and Han into the skyranger when they saw the dead civilian rising up with the same yellow gleam in its eyes as the purple creatures. They were in shock as the human rose up as a zombie and gave off an inhuman groan and lunged at the soldiers trying to bite them. Blunt and Smokey reacted quickly and fired off multiple shots hitting the zombie in its brain destroying it, and causing it fall over finally dead.

"What the fuck was that Smokey?" asked Blunt.

"I have no idea Emily. But it's some really fucked up shit." was Smokey's reply as they noticed Roberts and Sing coming back with more civilians and a captured alien.

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><p>== Back at the Base ==<p>

With the mission a success, Strike One had returned to the Base as quickly as possible. They dropped off their weapons in the Barracks, and took Han to the Infirmary to recover. Thankfully, it wasn't as serious as it looked and he'd be back in about two days or so. The civilians were sent to the Refugee Center to be interviewed and given places at XCOM until the war was over. The captured alien was sent to the Containment Room where it would be interrogated by Dr. Vahlen, while the dead aliens were sent to the Research Laboratories for research into their capabilities.

The Commander was ecstatic that Strike One was able to quickly end the Terror Strike mission of the Ravagers, and get back in relatively one piece. He was wondering what the alien would be able to tell them about the intentions of its comrades.

'Hopefully this will go over really quickly and we can get a lot out of this alien.' thought the Commander as Dr. Vahlen began the interrogation process that would surely be the worst moment of the creature's existence.

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><p><strong>AN: There you go guys, hope everybody enjoys the latest installment. Let me know what you guys think. I'm interested to hear what advice or critiques you guys have with the story progression. Anyway take care, and until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	10. Interrogation and Training

**AN: Hey Guys! Hope everybody had a good week, and is ready for the next installment in "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". Last we left our heroes, Han had been injured and new enemies had been fought. But, they got a captive and were beginning the interrogation. Let's see how that went.**

**Chapter 10: Interrogation and Training**

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><p>The interrogation of the captured Thin Man had been a grueling and painful three day event that yielded very little knowledge to the XCOM officials. The creature only had knowledge of interacting with a creature it referred to as an Outsider. This creature was actually the leader of the various UFO's that the fighters had shot down, but would disintegrate into nothing after being wounded in battle. Unfortunately, the creature had no other knowledge that would be of use to the XCOM officials and so it just asked to die in peace after the horrendous 72 hour process it had been forced into. Dr. Vahlen granted the alien his wish and allowed him to pass away and then got her team working on observing the dead zombie and purple creatures now known as Chryssalids because of their hard skin.<p>

The research team had been able to say that the Chryssalids were carrying a deadly toxin that would kill humans and then mutate them into new Chryssalids after a set amount of time. They were also able to see potential in the Chryssalids' skin as protective armor due to its unique toughness and thickness. The sent samples down to Dr. Shen's team in Engineering to work on developing armor for the troops to protect against the bites and bullets. The Engineering lab had also been able to develop new laser based weapons for the troops to use when they were in the field. Instead of firing bullets, the guns would now fire high powered lasers that would obliterate most aliens upon contact. All in all things were looking up for the XCOM program as they were making progress against the Ravagers.

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><p>== With Strike One ==<p>

The past few days of rest had been good for the members of Strike One as they recovered from the events of Operation Rolling Thunder. Javier "Smokey" Rodriguez had been working out in the training facilities trying to work off the stress of the last mission. He'd thought he'd seen it all, but the zombie that came at him and Blunt was terrifying to say the least. However, he knew that he would have to put it behind him, otherwise he would be unfit to lead Strike One in future missions. Eventually, he went over to the Memorial of his teammates and had a heart-to-heart talk with them that cleared his mind enough where he could still command his troops despite the trauma he'd been through.

Eric Roberts and Anna Sing were spending as much time as possible together because they didn't know when Eric's next mission would be. Also, Eric needed some comforting because he felt that it was his fault that Chin got shot during the last mission due to his weapon's jamming. Anna had to take it slow with Eric but, she managed to convince him that it was just bad luck that it happened, and he'd need to let it go. Besides, since Chin didn't blame Eric, then Eric couldn't blame himself either. This advice cheered Eric up immensely and he was ready to go back out and kick some ass.

Chin Mal Han had spent the past three days in the hospital allowing his foot to heal and to get mobility back in it. He was depressed at being cooped up in the hospital for days on end and wanted out as soon as possible. Chin had always been a very energetic person and hated to sit still for any period of time. Thankfully, he was saved from his insanity and boredom by his teammate Emily Blunt. Emily had been bored without her video game compatriot and wanted to see if she could cheer him up by visiting him in the hospital to check up on him. It worked exponentially as Han got rapidly better when his mind was off the boredom and he was able to be discharged on the third day. Emily had also decided to confess her feeling to Chin about how she was attracted to him because of his personality, and similar interests in video games. Chin was shocked, but also happy as he admitted his feelings back to her and they agreed to go on a date that night. Both of them enjoyed their time together immensely, and they couldn't wait to tell their squad about their relationship.

Johnnie Sing was excited to have done so well on his first mission with XCOM. Not only had he managed to take out some Ravagers, but he'd also been the first person to capture one alive with the Arc Thrower. He wondered now what would happened after this break his team had been given. He spent some time hanging out with Anna and Eric, and also honing his shooting skills at the target range in the training facilities. Johnnie was happy that his sister had found somebody to love and hoped that one day he could have the same happiness that she had with Eric.

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><p>== At the Training Ground ==<p>

After the three days break, Strike One was ordered to start training again, in case they needed to go into combat soon. All five members met at 0900 hours to be greeted with a new sight of weapons that the hadn't had before. The weapons were designed to look the same as their current weapons and they were perplexed as to why they were left out on their training field like this. Smokey however just smiled and proceeded to explain to his team that these were the new laser weapons the Engineers had designed to combat the Ravagers. The team was excited and wanted to try out the new weapons to assess their capabilities all five immediately took aim at five different targets down range and let loose on them. All five targets were hit by the lasers and burst into flames as they were made of paper and started to spread around the training ground. Acting quickly all five found some fire extinguishers and quickly put out the flames before they could engulf the entire field. They made a mental note to never fire at paper targets again without these on hand. After about another two hours of practicing, Smokey called the others together to announce something to them.

"Alright guys, I got some good news. Based on the actions taken during last mission the Commander has chosen to promote Johnnie to Squaddie."

"Wicked!" exclaimed Johnnie, as he received the new patch from Smokey for his uniform. Smokey then decided to set out the training regimen for the next few days.

"Okay guys. Since, Johnnie has been promoted he will work on the Assault path along with Chin so that way he can get it mastered faster. Emily you will continue working with your medical kit, while I master my Suppression technique. Eric you'll work on target practice to make sure your aim has deteriorated. Any questions?"

Four head shakes were his response as the team moved on to focusing with the training they were assigned by their squad leader. After four days, everybody was back working together on their teamwork in the training simulator. Just like all the other times Strike One still managed to achieve the highest scores in all the simulations due to their high team chemistry and cooperation skills. The team was in high spirits as they prepared to head down to the Mess Hall to get some chow before turning in for the night. Unfortunately for them that was not to be the case, as the alarm went throughout the base.

"Commander to the Command Center! Commander to the Command Center! We have a UFO landing in Paris!"

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><p>== At the Command Center ==<p>

The Commander had hustled down from his office as he joined Bradford, Dr. Shen, and Dr. Vahlen in staring at the screen that was currently showing a very large UFO that had landed in the center of Paris, France. The UFO was much larger than the other ones that had been shot down previously, and that worried the four people greatly.

"Could this ship be responsible for the abductions taking place around the world?" asked Dr. Vahlen.

"It is entirely possible, as it is much larger than the others we have previously encountered." contributed Dr. Shen as he observed the giant UFO.

"Bradford I want a status report on the amount of activity occurring inside that ship. I'm going to mobilize Strike One and have them combat this menace with the goal of capturing an Outsider alien." ordered the Commander as he exited the room to retrieve Strike One from wherever they were in the base.

* * *

><p>== At the Barracks ==<p>

Strike One had already figured out the Commander would send them on this mission as they were the only team to successfully capture an alien and bring it back for questioning. They were already loaded up with their equipment as the Commander entered the Barracks in search of them.

"You guys are really scaring me with this ESP thing. How'd you know I'd come looking for you?" asked the Commander.

"Well sir we're the only team that has successfully captured an alien before, and when we heard the announcement about the UFO landing we just knew we'd be sent out for this." replied Smokey as the others nodded in agreement.

"Ha Ha. I expect nothing less from my best team. Excellent reasoning Javier. Alright get down to the Hangar and prepare to leave. We've got an intact and unharmed large UFO at full strength take great caution, as the amount of activity is unknown. Dismissed."

Strike One nodded in response and quickly hurried down to the Hangar as they boarded the Skyranger and headed off to combat the newest threat of the Ravagers.

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><p><strong>AN: There you go guys that's the end of Chapter 10. Look for Chapter 11 tomorrow as Strike One tries to capture an Outsider for the Interrogation. Hope you guys enjoy the story so far. And will continue to follow along. Until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	11. Operation Scorched Earth

**AN: Hey loyal readers. Sorry for the late update today, been out all day running errands and spending time with family that I haven't gotten around to writing the chapter yet. Anyway last time we left our heroes, Strike One was headed towards the UFO landing site with the intent to capture the Outsider captain of the vessel. Let's see how the mission plays out.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own XCOM or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 11: Operation Scorched Earth**

Strike One was currently zooming across the Atlantic Ocean en route to the latest UFO landing site in Paris, France. The squad was currently catching up on the last moments of sleep they would get before landing in the city of light. What worried the squad about the mission was the amount of Ravagers waiting for them at their destination. Since there wasn't a crash landing it was a logical conclusion that all of the crew would be present to resist Strike One. All five members hoped that the mission would go as smoothly as possible giving the situation. The squad was awoken by the pilot telling them they had thirty minutes until touchdown, and decided to go over their equipment one last time before commencing the attack.

Sgt. Javier "Smokey" Rodriguez was equipped with the upgraded M249 SAW laser light machine gun, his trusty RPG-7 rocket launcher, and the new Chitin Plating that strengthened his body armor ten-fold. Cpl. Eric Roberts was equipped with the upgraded Barrett .50 caliber laser sniper rifle, his new laser .44 Magnum, and he was equipped with an Alien Grenade he'd found on the last mission. Also, he was currently jamming to "Rockstar" by Nickelback. Cpl. Chin Mal Han was equipped with his new laser Remington 870 shotgun, the laser Five Seven semi-automatic pistol, and the new Chitin Plating for his armor since he didn't want to get injured again. Sq. Emily Blunt was equipped with her upgraded laser M4A1 assault rifle, the same pistol as Han, and the Upgraded Medical Kit the engineers recently manufactured in the new Foundry. Finally, Sq. Johnnie Sing was equipped with the laser AK-47, the same pistol as Roberts, and the Arc Thrower for capturing the Outsider. The squad finished their final preparations, and gave the green light to the pilot who touched down in the countryside and dropped the ramp allowing Strike One to disembark and head towards the landing site.

== At the Landing Site ==

Strike One arrived at the site without any opposition as they were on a rocky hilltop overlooking the UFO. From what they could gather, they were on the opposite side of the cockpit, as they couldn't see any sign of the Outsider who would be piloting the alien vessel. Observing the three floaters who were acting as sentries from the roof, they made a plan to draw them out towards them. Smokey ordered Roberts to stay up top and provide Overwatch as they approached the vessel. Once in a reachable distance, Roberts would fire ad hit one of the Floaters causing the other two to charge. Once that occurred the others would let loose on them, and hopefully destroy them as well. The others got into position as Roberts set up his sniper's nest on the hilltop overlooking the craft.

== With Smokey, Han, Blunt and Sing ==

Maneuvering down the hillside wasn't too difficult as there was plenty of trees and rocks to seek cover behind until they reached the craft's open ramp. Taking a quick once over, they realized it had to be at least three times bigger than the others they had previously encountered. Setting up the ambush the four gave Roberts the signal for him to open up, as a laser shot was heard, causing one of the Floaters to be incinerated on impact. The other two quickly charged at Roberts' location hoping to end the sniper's life with a few rounds, but both were quickly incinerated by the shots of Sing and Blunt sending them towards the Earth as nothing more than ash piles. Sensing the danger was over for now, Smokey conjured up a new plan.

"Alright guys, Han and myself will explore the inside of the craft and fight our way to the cockpit using the right catwalk. Blunt and Sing you two will take the left catwalk and do the same. I'll radio Roberts and have him circle around the ship to the cockpit and set up another nest for him to provide Overwatch if necessary. Any questions?"

Three simultaneous "No sir." were the replies he received as he radioed the plan to Roberts.

== With Roberts ==

Roberts received his orders and quickly proceeded to disassemble his nest, and started moving around the right side of the ship in the tree line. He was moving and sticking to the shadows, as he came upon two Thin Men patrolling the forest looking for any signs of intruders. Roberts cursed his luck as he knew firing his pistol would alert the one he didn't shoot to his position and end his life. So he decided to use the new grenade he just found and immediately tossed it at the two Thin Men. He forgot to do one very important thing though, pull the grenade's pin. One of the aliens picked it up and wondered where it came from before a red beam of light flashed before his eyes and hit the grenade. The two bodies were quickly incinerated by the plasma grenade, leaving nothing behind but the poisonous fumes that Thin Men give off upon dying. Roberts mentally kicked himself for forgetting about the pin, but quickly hustled to the cockpit as he heard laser shots in the distance.

== With the Others ==

Smokey and Han had made good time across the catwalk as there was no resistance on their side. They reached a large open room where their catwalk converged with the one Blunt and Sing had taken. They decided to sit here and wait for them to catch up to them. Blunt and Sing however, weren't as lucky as Smokey and Han. They encountered three hulking creatures that were under their catwalk waiting for them to approach. These new creatures were several feet taller than them, and had breathing masks over their mouths and had red cracked skin. They were also, equipped with thick metal armor, and holding plasma rifles. The three creatures opened up on the two soldiers as they quickly scattered to find suitable cover. Sing had jumped off the catwalk and was hiding behind a turbine that seemed to be powering the alien ship for his journeys. He peeked out and saw that only one of the creatures had noticed his absence and was preparing to fire at him when Sing let off a shot from his rifle hitting a grenade the alien had on its metal armor. The grenade exploded sending blood everywhere as Sing once again hid from the aliens. Blunt had found cover behind the wall of the pen the aliens were currently in, and was successful in taking down one of the other two creatures with her rifle. However, the final creature let out a blood-curdling scream that froze Blunt in place. The creature then charged at her intending to finish the battle when Han and Smokey appeared on the catwalk they just left and shot the mutant down before it could harm her. Han went over and checked her out to make sure she was okay, before they headed towards the cockpit.

They reached the large, open room and entered it cautiously. What they saw unnerved them to no end. Lining the walls were various holding tanks that looked to be housing various bodies in them. These bodies included not only humans, but some Sectoids, Chryssalids, Thin Men, and other creatures that the soldiers hadn't seen before. The sights sent a wave of fear into the soldiers has Han went and threw up again at the sight before him. They each looked at one another and silently vowed to make the Ravagers pay for what they had done to these creatures in their conquests. They made it to the other side of the room where there was a door that appeared to lead into the cockpit. Han and Sing both lined up on either side of the door, as Blunt and Smokey took cover next to either one of them along the wall. Smokey gave the signal as Han kicked the door in, and was immediately met with a blast from two plasma rifles.

== With Roberts ==

Having heard the shots, Roberts quickly got into position where in could look into the cockpit via its windshield. He saw that the door was kicked in, and Han was laying on the ground holding his chest from what appeared to be two plasma rounds from the two Outsiders inside the cockpit. Enraged at the sight of his friend in pain, Roberts immediately lined up a shot that hit the Outsider on the right causing him to faze away just as the other one from their earlier UFO mission. The second Outsider saw his copilot fall and immediately opened fire on Roberts' position. Roberts had enough time to dive behind a rock where the spot he was earlier had been set on fire from the plasma round that had struck it. He prayed that Han was alright, and that he had been enough of a distraction for his team, as the rock he was hiding behind was hit by a plasma round.

== With the Others ==

Noticing the alien's lack of focus on them, Blunt grabbed Han and dragged him out of the doorway as Sing rushed in with the Arc Thrower and immediately incapacitated the alien with a 50,000 volt shot. The Outsider immediately formed into a crystal shaped object and lay on the ground motionless, no longer a threat to the soldiers. After placing the crystal in a magnetic locking ring, Sing ran back to the others to check on Han. Thankfully, Han's new plating saved him from being eviscerated as the shots weren't able to penetrate the new layer, although he'd need a new body armor vest after this mission was over. The others gathered up the bodies, holding tanks, power supplies, and alien computers as Smokey headed out to check on Roberts.

== With Smokey ==

He had headed into the woods and had found the two dead aliens from Roberts' grenade fiasco earlier. He followed Roberts' tracks to the burning crater where he'd been standing before the Outsider's barrage. He then looked to his left where he saw a rock that had been vaporized by the second Outsider's barrage. He then looked closer and saw Roberts propped against the tree with his arm by his side limp. He had second degree burns on his left arm, and the bone appeared to be broken, as he wasn't able to move it around or grab anything. Other than that, Roberts was calmly sitting down listening to "Anthem for the Underdog" by 12 Stones. He looked up to see Smokey there staring at him and he uttered "What kept ya?" before passing out due to the pain radiating through his body. Smokey just laughed at his friend's antics as he carried him back to the skyranger for medical attention from Blunt.

== At the Skyranger ==

After getting Roberts stabilized and comfortable, the other members of Strike One finished securing the alien artifacts in the ship's hold, as they strapped themselves in for the long ride back to base.

**AN: Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm pleased to say that somebody is taking the time to read my story. Never in my thoughts did I believe that anybody would give a damn about what I'm writing, let alone 200 different people. Thanks to everybody that has read at least one part of this story. I look forward to continuing this in the future. Remember all comments, reviews, and criticisms are welcomed. Until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.**

** - PRAK**


	12. The New Addition

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of content this weekend, but that's my fault for not telling you guys. My schooling will be starting up again next week, which means I've had to move my work schedule around to accommodate the changes. Because of this I will now be posting chapters on Sundays and Tuesdays. Anyways, let's catch back up with the members of Strike One.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Still don't own XCOM or any of its characters.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: The New Addition<strong>

Strike One had just arrived back at XCOM's base of operations after successfully capturing the Outsider alien. Their first order of business was to get Roberts set up in the Infirmary so he could recover from his injuries. Blunt had been able to set his arm back in place, and had treated his burns as best she could, but he'd still need a week or so to recover before going back out on missions. As, Blunt took Roberts to the Infirmary, Sing and Han went to get Anna to notify her about Roberts' injuries so she could meet him in the Infirmary after he'd woken up. This left Smokey to drop the artifact off in the Engineering Lab so the officials could look it over to find out anything at all from it.

* * *

><p>== In the Engineering Lab ==<p>

Smokey had just dropped off the artifact and had gone back to the Barracks to catch up on some sleep. This left Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen and the Commander to examine the artifact that now lay before them. All three were not surprised that the Outsider had transformed before dying, because it was likely to have done that to avoid being interrogated by Dr. Vahlen. All three were wondering how best to analyze the artifact until Dr. Shen spoke his mind.

"I believe that this thing is transmitting a certain frequency that only the Ravagers can hear. If my team could trace the sequence back to the Ravagers, we may be able to pinpoint their base of operations here on Earth."

"Then that would mean we could assault the base and take out their leader, effectively confusing the forces they still have on the ground. That's an excellent idea Dr. Shen." replied the Commander, who was impressed by how quickly Dr. Shen came to the conclusion.

"How long will your team need?" asked the Commander.

"About two weeks or so. We will also need time to try and duplicate the signal so that way our team can access the base without incident."

"Okay start working on that Dr. Shen. Dr. Vahlen what will your team be working on?"

"Well Commander, my team is working on a new powered armor for the troops to wear. After seeing how effective the Plating worked on Strike One's last mission, we wanted to make a better armor to keep our casualties to a minimum in the upcoming fights."

"Understood Dr. Vahlen. You both are dismissed, I must go and inform Bradford of the developments, as well as work on promotions for Strike One." replied the Commander as he exited the Lab back to his office where Bradford was waiting for him.

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><p>== 10 days later at Training Ground ==<p>

Roberts had been discharged from the hospital a few days ago and was training with the rest of Strike One who had been anxious to have him back. They were all worried that he'd be out for longer, but the doctors had worked wonders and got him out ahead of time. This had led to a great deal of celebrating for Strike One as they all gotten promotions after Operation Scorched Earth.

Smokey was now a Captain, because he was the most experienced soldier XCOM had, and as such allowed for the squad to advance to having its full six member capacity. They were all anxiously awaiting the rookie's arrival later today.

Roberts and Han had both been promoted to Sergeant and had taken the call-signs "Ghost" and "Renegade" respectively. Roberts was now able to do more damage with the pistols then the other soldiers, and Han was now able to have faster reaction times then other soldiers, which would allow him to dodge incoming alien attacks with relative ease.

Blunt and Sing had both been promoted to Corporal as well. Blunt was now able to sprint longer distances then before. This would have a great benefit for the squad as she could more easily reach the positions of wounded comrades, and give medical aid faster than before. Sing was now able to have better defense with the more enemies that were in his field of vision.

All five members had just finished training when they reported down to the Hangar to pick up the new recruit that would make the Squad into a complete fighting unit.

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><p>== At the Hangar ==<p>

Strike One had arrived at the Hangar to see that Big Sky was landing with what they assumed to be the newest recruits for XCOM. They all greeted Leon as he exited the craft and asked him how the flight was. (Leon is the pilot of Big Sky from "The Bureau: XCOM Declassified".) After catching up with him for a few minutes they bade him goodbye and looked to see ten new recruits anxiously awaiting to see who would be joining the ranks of Strike One.

Smokey had the benefit of going over the new member's Dossier seeing as how he was Strike One's squad leader. Because of this he was able to easily identify the new member from the crowd, as he addressed those assembled before him.

"Greetings and welcome to XCOM recruits. Now before I continue do any of you know anything about why you're here?"

He paused and got all ten recruits to nod in the positive, as they had been informed about the project beforehand. This generally got more people to join the project, because they wanted to help fight off the alien invasion instead of sitting back doing nothing. With that out of the way Smokey continued his introduction to the recruits.

"That's good, anyway my name is Cpt. Javier "Smokey" Rodriguez, and I'm the squad leader for Strike One which, is the most experienced squad XCOM has at its disposal. I'm also our Heavy Weapons Specialist and originally hail from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Behind me are my other squad members of my six man team. I will let them introduce themselves to you." stated Smokey as he stepped back and allowed Ghost and Renegade to go next.

"Yo. My name is Sgt. Chin Mal "Renegade" Han and I'm one of the Assault members of Strike One. I'm originally from South Korea and I love to joke around with my teammates and make them laugh. I look forward to getting to know all of you."

"Hello everyone. My name is Sgt. Eric "Ghost" Roberts and I'm the Sniper for Strike One. My job is to provide Overwatch and cover for the others. I'm originally from Baltimore, MD, USA and was a civilian shooting champion before this all went down. I was able to fend off several aliens before XCOM came and asked me to join their ranks. I look forward to working with you guys in the future."

Both of them stepped back and motioned for Blunt and Sing to introduce themselves to the new guys.

"Hi guys. My name is Cpl. Emily Blunt and I'm the Medic for Strike One. I originally hail from Scotland, and I arrived here at the same time as Ghost and Renegade. My job is provide medical attention to my team and mess up any aliens that get too close. I also enjoy playing video games in my spare time. Congrats to all of you for being accepted into the program and I hope you all find success here."

"What's up guys? My name is Cpl. Johnnie Sing and I'm the other Assault member of strike one with Renegade over there. I'm originally from Hong Kong, China and I came here after my sister was rescued by Strike One. I'm also the only person here who has captured an alien alive for interrogation. I look forward to competing against all of you on the shooting ranges."

As those two stepped back the rookies all got confused looks on their faces, as Smokey stepped back up and started to instruct them on how life would be like at the base. It was at this point that one brave rookie decided to ask a question.

"Excuse me Smokey?" asked a feminine voice that came from the back of the ten assemble rookies. Smokey looked back and smiled at the person who was asking the question. It turns out that the person was the sixth member of Strike One, but didn't know it yet.

"Yes?" replied Smokey.

"I thought you said there were six members in your team, but how come there are only five of you?" asked the rookie.

"Well, as it turns out one of you is the final member of Strike One." he paused as he took in the shocked and excited faces that were before him before he continued.

"Please step forward and introduce yourself rookie."

"My name is Tracy Wolfe and I'm originally from Ontario, Canada. When my home was attacked, my family was killed and I was sent to one of the military bases to seek shelter. They only found out about my past as a hunter recently, so they asked me if I wanted to join XCOM because of my excellent accuracy. I accepted the offer and well her I am standing in front of you sir."

"Well it is fitting that you were the one to ask the question Wolfe, because you're the sixth member of Strike One."

The looks of shock were evident on the other rookies, as they had simply written Wolfe off as a civilian that didn't deserve to be here. Roberts however, was nodding in approval that a fellow civilian was now joining the ranks. Based on this development he joined the conversation.

"Smokey may I interject?"

"Of course Ghost. Did you figure out why the Commander chose her for our squad?"

"Yeah I did. It's because since I was a former civilian I'd be able to relate to her better than the other soldiers, and the fact that she seems to be geared towards being a fellow sniper, is also just a happy coincidence."

"Insightful as always Ghost. You would definitely be a good squad leader if I wasn't here."

"Thanks Smokey." replied Ghost as he stepped back in line with the others.

Wolfe was shocked and grateful that this squad was willing to accept her so easily, and she smiled at the prospect of being able to work with someone who shared her past as just a civilian. So she happily walked over and joined the ranks of Strike One as each member greeted her with a hug as she fell in line with the others.

Smokey finished is briefing of the other rookies and instructed them to wait here for their squad leaders, while his group prepared to help Tracy get settled into the base. Unfortunately that was not to be the case as the alarm rang throughout the base.

"Strike One to the Hangar! Strike One to the Hangar! The Council has requested you guys for a mission. You'll be briefed on the flight to your destination."

Strike One looked at each other and wondered what was so important but decided to worry about it later as they geared up for the mission. Everybody was equipped with the same weapons and equipment from the last mission except for Ghost and Rk. Wolfe. Ghost had equipped the Chitin Plating that Renegade and Smokey had used on the last mission. Rk. Wolfe had been equipped with the Laser M4A1 Assault rifle that everyone starts with, and the Laser Five Seven semi-automatic pistol. She was also equipped with a Nano-Fiber Vest as there were no more Chitin Plating available at the time of this mission.

All the members of Strike One boarded the Skyranger and gave Leon the good to go sign, as they lifted off towards the next mission.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope everyone enjoys the latest installment in the story. All feedback is appreciated so please review, comment, or PM if you have anything you want to say. Have a good day, and I'll see you guys on Tuesday. This is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	13. Operation Falling Savior

**AN: Hey Guys! Well last we left off Strike One was heading out on a mission for the Council. Will they all make it back alive? Will Rk. Wolfe avoid freezing up? Will Han ever beat Blunt in any type of video games? Will I receive any reviews for this chapter? Let's find out!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Operation Falling Savior<strong>

== On the Skyranger ==

Strike One was currently heading out over the Pacific Ocean towards their destination. Leon was sparing no time in getting to Brisbane, Australia as this was a Council mission that tended to yield valuable resources towards the XCOM project. Currently Strike One was busy going over the mission one last time as they triple checked all their equipment to avoid any malfunctions.

Thomas Hutch was a political friend of the Council that was traveling to give a speech to the local government to gain more support for the XCOM project. His limousine was traveling towards the Capitol when it was ambushed by the Ravagers. They had managed to surround the vehicle cavalcade and it looked very bleak for Hutch and his security detail. Strike One's mission was to secure the ambush site, find Mr. Hutch and guide him back to the skyranger where he could be safely transported back to XCOM headquarters.

Having finished going over the details and checking their equipment, the members of Strike One were lost in their individual thoughts about the current mission. Smokey was worried that they were going to be too late to save the council's friend. Blunt and Renegade were busy arguing over how their last match of Gears of War 3 was to be resolved. (Renegade had "accidentally" unplugged the chord from the XBOX 360 and Blunt believed that she deserved the win since she was one kill away from winning.) Sing was wondering how his sister was doing back at the base, and if he'd have to capture another Ravager with his Arc Thrower. Ghost was listening to "Troublemaker" by Weezer to calm his nerves about the mission. Wolfe was busy worrying about freezing up on the mission. She had never been in combat before and was worried that she would make a mistake that would cost someone their life. Ghost saw that she was freaking out and gave her a reassuring smile and a pat on the bat. Wolfe nodded at him, signaling that she appreciated his concern and was thanking him for helping her stop worrying. At that moment Leon brought the skyranger down at the ambush site and Strike One disembarked to engage the enemy.

* * *

><p>== On the Ground ==<p>

Strike One had landed in a wide open plaza that overlooked the road where the vehicles had been ambushed. There was a bridge connecting the plaza to an identical one on the other side. Observing the vehicles, Strike One noticed a large delivery van further up the road from the cavalcade. Looking back to the cavalcade they could see that the lead vehicle and rear vehicle were engulfed in flames, which effectively sealed the limousine in and made them sitting ducks. Knowing the situation, Smokey had Ghost hang back near the Skyranger to provide cover while the team moved into position. Smokey and Wolfe would head towards the bridge and secure that while Blunt, Renegade and Sing would rush the limousine and help free Hutch and any of his surviving security detail. They split into their assigned groups and began their rescue mission.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Wolfe ==<p>

The duo managed to reach the bridge without incident and were preparing to cross it when two Thin Men appeared on the other side and began opening up on their position. Fortunately, both soldiers managed to find cover behind two concrete flower boxes that flanked the bridge. However, they were both pinned down and hoped that Ghost could help them out with his cover.

* * *

><p>== With Blunt, Renegade, and Sing ==<p>

The threesome wasn't faring much better as they were pinned behind a statue that overlooked the stairs that lead to the limousine. They had managed to dispatch two Thin Men on their right flank with shots from Blunt and Sing's assault rifles. But, three more Thin Men across the road who had been pinning down the limousine were now firing at the Statue and taking off more and more of it with each shot. They too hoped that Ghost could get them out of their predicament as well.

* * *

><p>== With Ghost ==<p>

Ghost saw the two scenarios playing out in front of him, and was not pleased with how the Ravagers were pinning them down. So he decided to change that by having his Barrett go into action. He first fired a beam towards the two aliens holding down Smokey and Wolfe. The beam struck the Thin Man on the left causing him to explode into the poisonous gas cloud they were famous for, before firing at the group pinning down Blunt, Renegade and Sing. His bullet struck the Thin Man on the far right in the face, causing it to send up an identical gas cloud to the first unlucky alien.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Wolfe ==<p>

Seeing their window open up Smokey popped up and dispatched the other Thin Man pinning them down with a burst from his SAW. He then ordered Wolfe across the bridge to flank the other two Thin Men. Wolfe managed to avoid being hit, as she found cover behind a wall and opened up on the exposed Thin Men. Her assault rifle burst struck the first Thin Man in his side effectively ending his existence. Her job finished, she sat back and awaited Smokey's next order.

* * *

><p>== With Blunt, Renegade, and Sing ==<p>

Noticing the two go down, Blunt rolled from the statue to hide behind a giant light fixture and took out the final Thin Man with her assault rifle. Signaling the all clear, Sing and Renegade approached the limousine to secure Hutch and his detail, noticing that two security guards had survived the ambush, but were out of ammo and were wounded.

"You guys here for Hutch?" asked the taller of the two guards.

"Yes, is he still alive?" asked Renegade, worried that they were too late to save him.

"Yeah, but he's gone. He freaked during the ambush and went to hide behind that delivery van down there." replied the shorter guard.

"Okay then you two come with me back to the skyranger for your own protection, don't worry we'll get Hutch. Sing head down there and retrieve Hutch and tell him we're here for him. Then head back towards the Skyranger." ordered Renegade as he began the trek towards the Skyranger with the guards in tow.

Sing nodded and began making his way towards the van where, he took cover behind a jeep that had avoided being destroyed in the initial ambush. It was a good thing to as another Thin Man appeared across from him up on the other plaza, but was quickly dispatched by Blunt who saw it arrive. Thanking her with a nod, Sing advanced towards the van to hear banging from inside the van and a voice to go along with it.

"Hey, I'm in the back of the van! Can you guys get me out?"

It was unmistakably the voice of Thomas Hutch, and Sing hustled around to the back of the delivery van. Seeing that it locked from the outside, Sing used his rifle butt to smash in the locking mechanism which allowed him to open up the door to reveal a very alive Thomas Hutch.

Despite having a few scrapes on his knees from falling and some dirt on his suit, the politician was physically alive and eager to escape. He thanked Sing and XCOM for coming to get him and bringing him back to the base.

"I'm glad my friends on the Council remembered me. I'd hate to be left out here against those things. Let's get the hell out of here."

"I couldn't agree more Mr. Hutch. Follow me and I'll get you back to the skyranger." replied Sing as they started to move back along the vehicles while Sing radioed back to the others.

"I have secured Mr. Hutch and we are heading back towards the Skyranger using the vehicles as cover. Watch your fire as we are coming back." said Sing before he started following Hutch back along the vehicles.

* * *

><p>== With the Others ==<p>

The five other members of Strike One had stayed in their former positions, except for Renegade who was busy loading the guards into the Skyranger with Leon's help. They were remaining extra vigilant as they didn't need an alien popping up and taking out Mr. Hutch before they got back to the base. However, none of them were prepared for what happened next.

* * *

><p>== With Sing and Hutch ==<p>

The two had made their way back to the limousine and were preparing to move back up the stairs when two Thin Men appeared out of nowhere across the way from them. They both preceded to fire their plasma rifles at the limo with the intent to destroy it and incinerate both Sing and Hutch. Realizing the danger, Sing threw Hutch away from the limo and onto the stairs, while he used his body as a shield by jumping on top of Hutch as the vehicle exploded sending shrapnel everywhere.

* * *

><p>== With the Others ==<p>

As they watched the two aliens fire, both Wolfe and Ghost fired on them effectively killing them, but they weren't quick enough to prevent the aliens from destroying the limo. as they all watched in shock, Smokey and Blunt both recovered and ran over to Sing and Hutch who were still on the ground unmoving. Blunt went and check Hutch's pulse first, and finding a fairly strong one. It appeared that he had merely been knocked unconscious by the blast's shockwave. Smokey however, noticed that Sing had a piece of the car's body penetrating his back causing a steady flow of blood to leak out onto the ground. Realizing that it was a serious injury he had Blunt begin immediate medical care while he signaled Wolfe and Ghost over to help carry the two back to the Skyranger.

Ghost started carrying Hutch back, while Blunt began working on Sing. Noticing that the metal had gone through the center of his back they knew that this was probably a very serious spinal cord injury, and that he would probably never walk again. As she rolled him over however, she gasped as what she saw. The metal had penetrated Sing's entire body as he wasn't wearing any form of armor other than the standard issue armor given to each soldier. But, what upset her more was that it had penetrated his chest cavity where his heart was. As tears started flowing down her cheeks, she reached down and felt for a pulse but didn't find any. This caused the tears to fall even faster as she stopped work on Sing and informed Smokey about the youngster's demise.

Smokey and Wolfe both took the news hard as Wolfe began crying as well, and Smokey just let his face fall and show the depression he'd been suppressing since his teammates' deaths during the first mission. Blunt removed Sing's dog tags, as Smokey and Wolfe placed him in a body bag and sealed it up, before saying a small prayer. The three then began the trip back to the Skyranger with heavy hearts and saddened expressions.

* * *

><p>== At the Skyranger ==<p>

Renegade and Ghost had both finished getting the guards and Hutch settled in the Skyranger and were currently waiting for their teammates return. Hutch had woken up after being strapped in and thanked them both tremendously saying that he'd get as much support for the XCOM project as he could. They both had thanked him and allowed him to rest as they both stepped out to guard the Skyranger.

Renegade was the first to spot the trio as he called Ghost over when he realized that something was wrong. As Ghost arrived he quickly understood what worried Renegade as he noticed that only three of their teammates were walking towards them while Smokey was carrying a body bag in his arms. Both hustled over and asked what happened, but Ghost already had a pretty good idea. He had seen the position that Sing was in after the explosion, and he'd barely held it together as he carried Hutch back to the Skyranger. Now that he saw the body bag in Smokey's arms he openly wept in front of the others. He couldn't believe that his surrogate little brother was dead, and there wasn't anything he could've done to save him. The others comforted him as best they could, but they knew the best thing would be to let him be alone the ride back.

So with heavy hearts, the five remaining members of Strike One boarded the Skyranger and headed back to the XCOM base with one less member amongst the living.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here ends this very somber chapter of Strike One's story. Tune in next time as Ghost has to inform Anna of her little brother's death. How will she take the news? What does this mean for Strike One? Find out next time on "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors"!<strong>

**AN2: On another note, let me know what you guys think about this story development. This is the first time that I had to kill off a main character, and I was wondering if I did it in the proper way. Or just drop a comment about something else in the story you guys liked or hated. Any feedback helps out a whole bunch. Anyway enough of my rambling, this is "The Nasty One" signing off.**

** -PRAKNASTY (PRAK)**


	14. Coping and Surprises

**AN: Hey guys it's that time again! Last we left off, Strike One lost one of their squad members in the rescue of Thomas Hutch. How will they handle this sudden loss? Let's find out.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Coping and Surprises<strong>

Leon had finally managed to get the skyranger back to XCOM after the rescue mission for Thomas Hutch. To say the flight was somber would be an understatement. There was no talking the entire flight back, not even the jovial Han was in a good mood. Strike One had just lost their youngest squad member and was having a hard time dealing with it. Never again would they see his smiling face, or hear his happy laugh throughout the base. It would be awhile before Strike One would return to the happy bunch they were before the mission.

Ghost was probably taking it the hardest out of all the members of Strike One. Not only did he feel that he was too slow in his shot to save Johnnie, but he'd have to tell Anna about the death of her brother. That was making him sick to his stomach as he didn't know how his girlfriend would react to losing her younger brother. He was removed from his inflection as the skyranger finished landing in the Hangar of the XCOM base.

After landing, Hutch and his two surviving guards were taken away to the Commander to be debriefed and given shelter at the XCOM base for a short time, while Strike One went to the Infirmary to drop off Johnnie's body for preparation for the funeral. Ghost separated from the others after they arrived at the Infirmary to go inform Anna of the events on the mission.

Anna had been having a very bad feeling about the mission Strike One had received, she'd been having this feeling in her gut that someone wouldn't be coming back from the rescue operation. She had no idea how right she was, as she heard a knock at the door to the living quarters that she and Ghost shared. On opening the door she saw Ghost standing there with a tear stained face as he was refraining from crying even more, but was failing miserably as more tears came streaming down his face. He then broke the news the best he could in between sobs.

"Anna... I'm sorry, but... Johnnie didn't survive the last mission... I'm sorry."

It was all he could say before he broke down in sobs again at the news that he couldn't believe was true. Anna was in absolute shock as it registered in her mind what Ghost just told her. She began to break down as well as she just realized her last family member had been taken from her because of this war. Ghost went to try and comfort her, but the emotional state she was in wouldn't allow him to do that as she blamed him for not bringing her brother back to her.

"Ghost you... promised to keep him safe no matter what... get out... I don't ever want to see you again." said Anna as she slammed the door in his face and left him sobbing in the hallway.

* * *

><p>== Five Days Later ==<p>

The funeral for Johnnie had been a very somber occasion, everyone in the base came out to remember the youngest soldier in the XCOM barracks. Ghost had decided to stay away from the funeral, as he didn't want to create a scene with Anna being there. Afterwards, Anna had returned back to Hong Kong seeing as how she had no intention of remaining with the XCOM project after losing her brother because of their mission. The others were worried about Ghost as they hadn't seen him for the past couple of days. They finally cornered him at the Memorial Wall remembering Johnnie as his name had just been engraved yesterday.

Ghost turned when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and saw the other members of Strike One coming to see him. He was unprepared for the intervention that was about to occur, but he figured it would be the best thing for him so he stayed to face the music. Each of the four others offered him their condolences for what happened, but told him that it wasn't his fault that Johnnie died. Johnnie had died the way a true soldier should've by protecting his comrades so they could complete their mission and come home safely. They went on to say that he shouldn't be depressed about what happened and should move forward for Johnnie's sake. They also said that they were there for him and he could always rely on them to have his back. Ghost was grateful that his teammates cared so much about him, and thanked them for their concern. He asked for a few more days to cope and accept what happened. They said they would, and left him alone to continue his musings at the Memorial Wall.

* * *

><p>== Three Days Later ==<p>

The five members of Strike One were gathered at the Training Grounds to begin training again. Ghost had finally worked up the courage to get back into training and they wanted to get the mist out of it, before they were called for another mission. Smokey stood in front of the others as he gave them their assignments for the day.

"Alright guys, time to start training again. Ghost it's good to see you as your old self again. Anyway, we have some promotions to hand out because of the success of the Council Mission. Blunt you've been promoted to Sergeant and will be able to carry three medical kits into battle instead of the usual one. Just let me know what your call sign will be after today's session. Also, Wolfe you've been promoted to Squaddie and will be receiving Sniper training from Ghost to become better acquainted with the equipment we use. Now both of you come up and receive your new uniform insignias."

Both females stepped forward with big smiles as they received their new patches for their uniforms as renegade and Ghost clapped for them. As they returned back next to the boys, Smokey continued his lecture.

"Okay settle down. Blunt you'll continue perfecting your medical skills, while Renegade and I go over tactics for us to use in the field. Ghost you already know you're working with Wolfe, so any questions?"

Four simultaneous head shakes in the negative were his response as they began their training for the day.

* * *

><p>== Eight Hours Later ==<p>

Their training had just ended and Smokey had gathered Strike One together so they could say goodbye to Hutch and his guards as they were leaving today to continue his political campaign to gather support for XCOM. Before they left Blunt announced that she had chosen "Savior" as her call sign for future missions. The five members of Strike One then left for the Hangar as they went to meet Hutch and his team.

As they arrived at the Hangar they saw the Commander and Hutch saying their final goodbyes, and sharing a hearty handshake. They then noticed Strike One arriving and turned to acknowledge them. Strike One also noticed that both of Hutch's guards were present and waved to them. Strike One had gotten to know the two guards better over the past few days and had struck up a friend ship with them after Johnnie's funeral. The taller guard's name was Malcolm Young and he'd been serving Hutch since his beginnings as a politician. He also revealed that he and Hutch had been childhood friends, which was why Hutch had chosen him to be the head of his security detail. The shorter guard's name was Sophia Benson and she was a new addition to Hutch's detail before the Australian campaign tour. She had recently left the Australian Defense Force and had taken the security gig to help pay her bills. Both had become fond of Strike One as they looked up to them for saving their lives, and their boss' life as well.

After saying their goodbyes to them, the Commander turned to Strike One and decided to drop a surprise on them, that he and Hutch had worked out a few days prior when they saw the bonding that was occurring amongst the soldiers.

"Strike One it's my pleasure to tell you that you've gained a new member to help you guys fill Johnnie's spot in the squad. Sophia please step forward and join your new team."

Strike One was absolutely stunned as they had no idea they were gaining a replacement so soon. Sophia was also stunned as she had no idea that this would happen.

"How is this possible?" she asked as she turned to Hutch for an explanation.

"Well, Sophia I know for a fact that you still miss being in the forces, and this is the best way for you to get back into doing what you love. You took charge with Malcolm back on that mission and kept us alive long enough for them to rescue us. You'd be perfect to join their ranks." replied Hutch as he smiled at the unbelieving look on Sophia's face.

"But, what about you and Malcolm?"

"We'll be okay Sophia, my brother Angus and his friends will fill the holes left by the others. Besides, I couldn't leave my friend without any protection." replied Malcolm as he gave Sophia a good bye hug, followed by Hutch.

She then walked over to the Strike One as they all gave her welcoming hugs knowing that she'd be a good replacement to fill the gap left by Johnnie's untimely death. After saying one more round of goodbyes, Hutch and Malcolm boarded their skyranger as they headed off to their next campaign destination.

* * *

><p>== 2 Days Later ==<p>

Strike One had spent the last two days training their newest recruit as they were preparing for their next mission. Sophia had really taken a shine to the training and was progressing quite nicely under Smokey's supervision. If people looked close enough they would have mistaken the two for a couple with how close they'd become over the past few days. Savior and Renegade had also been training together and had taken their relationship to the next level, by moving in together. This left an empty room in Strike One's living area that they had no idea what to do with. Finally, Ghost and Wolfe had been training together nonstop to make sure they both were at the tops of their games. They would have sniping competitions to determine who was actually the best in the squad, which each of them ended up splitting 50-50 because they were both equally accurate.

Training had finished a few hours ago, and everyone had turned in for the night and were all beginning to fall asleep when the blasted alarm rang out through the base waking the members of Strike One.

"Strike One to the Hangar! Strike One to the Hangar! We have another urgent council request!"

The members of Strike One, first cursed the damn alarm for waking them, but then groggily got equipped and headed down to the Hangar as ordered. When they reached the Hangar they were greeted by Leon who told them to hop into Big Sky as he'd be flying them again. After getting strapped in, they asked the Commander what their mission was, and he replied with the following synopsis.

"Strike One you are being deployed to Guadalajara, Mexico. There have been rumors that the Ravagers had taken over a train station in the most populated area of the city. And the rumor says that they have a dirty bomb that they plan to unleash upon the city in a matter of hours. your mission is to disarm the bomb, retake the train station, and defend it against any counterattacks. Good luck and Godspeed, Central Out."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go guys, another chapter down. Let me know what you guys think, as I really appreciate your guys' insight. If anyone is confused about the call signs of the soldiers, check on my profile for the list of the soldiers in the squad and their identifying information. Also, if anyone gets the musical reference I put in this chapter you get a cookie. Anyway until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	15. Who Dropped the Bomb?

**AN: Hey guys! Welcome back to another of Strike One's escapades as they look to defuse a dirty bomb possessed by the Ravagers. Will they succeed or get caught in the blast? Let's find out right now on "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors"!**

**Chapter 15: Who Dropped the Bomb?**

* * *

><p>== On the Skyranger ==<p>

Strike One was currently flying mach speed towards their destination deep in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Time was of the essence as the bomb was scheduled to go off in about thirty minutes. Strike One was currently finishing up their equipment check as the Skyranger started descending towards the Earth. All of the squad members were using their same equipment from the Hutch retrieval mission with the exceptions of Wolfe and Benson. (AN: See Chapter 13 for equipment description.) Wolfe had traded in her M4A1 assault rifle for the Dragunov sniper rifle complete with the upgraded laser ammunition, while Benson was equipped with the standard M4A1 assault rifle with the laser ammunition, the laser Five Seven semi-automatic pistol, an alien grenade, and the standard XCOM body armor.

The Skyranger finished its landing sequence as Leon gave the green light for Strike One to disembark and find the bomb. The location they had been dropped was a ancient church yard that had been abandoned by the population after the attacks began. The church itself was situated in the center of the yard and had four different entryways into the church with numerous graves and crypts scattered around the church. There were also two gates situated to the east and west of the church that allowed entry into the yard. Because of where Leon landed Strike one was on a ridge South of the church that had stairs that descended towards the southern entry of the church. It was here that Strike One drew out the plan of attack for finding the bomb.

* * *

><p>== On the Ground ==<p>

Smokey made the assumption the bomb would be on the northern side of the church as Strike One could plainly see that it wasn't on the Southern side. Realizing this, Smokey assumed that the church itself would have enemies inside of it, as well as on the western and eastern sides to prevent a flanking maneuver. Thankfully his squad now had two snipers so he wouldn't need to try a flanking maneuver as the snipers could just pick off the guards from afar, while the others could clear out the church on their approach towards the bomb. Also, there were these little glowing green boxes that he assumed to be power nodes that powered the bomb. By shutting as many of these down as possible, they could delay the bomb's detonation and defuse it. With his plan fully thought out Smokey turned to the squad and began to give orders.

"Alright guys here's the plan for our assault. The bomb is probably on the other side of the church, also there are these little green power nodes that probably power the bomb. By turning these off we can delay the bomb's detonation and defuse it. The enemy is probably inside the church, and on the sides preventing a traditional flanking maneuver. Because of this we are going to distract them and pick them off while they're disoriented."

Everyone except for Ghost nodded at the explanation and were waiting to hear their roles for the plan.

"Alright Benson and I will quietly approach this door and set up on either side of it, then we'll wait until everyone is in position before you toss that grenade in there to kill the ones that aren't expecting a direct assault."

"Understood sir." replied Benson as Smokey continued his plan.

"Prophet will go on the western flank behind this crypt right here and fire at the enemies positioned there after the grenade distracts them."

"Roger that Smokey." was Prophet's response as he turned to Renegade.

"Renegade you'll do the same thing on the eastern flank, and please wait until the grenade explodes before revealing yourself. I don't want all of them swarming you because you were too trigger happy."

"Jeez Smokey, cool your jets I got it." replied Renegade with his arms making a disarming motion to keep Smokey from ripping his head off.

"Moving on, Wolfe you'll provide Renegade with Overwatch from that tall gravestone up on this ledge, while Ghost will do the same for Prophet behind this equally tall gravestone over there."

"Roger that sir." was Wolfe's reply, while Ghost was head banging to his music. If you could listen closely you could hear it was "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. Smokey was of course annoyed that Ghost wasn't paying attention again and slapped the back of his head to get his attention.

"Ow! What was that for?" asked Ghost.

"For being an idiot Ghost. Now are you going to make me repeat myself?"

"No, Smokey I'll just go provide Overwatch for Prophet like you asked."

"How'd you hear that? Your music is up too loud."

"I didn't I can read lips smartass."

"Why you little!" was Smokey's retort as he began to choke Ghost out like Homer did to Bart on "The Simpsons" when he did something infuriating. The rest of the squad just sweatdropped at the action until Prophet spoke up.

"Can we move this along, we have a bomb to defuse remember?"

"Right as I was saying. After the enemies are all down we'll all progress towards the bomb and take out any others we encounter until we reach the bomb. Once we do, Renegade will defuse it and then we'll eliminate any other resistance before heading back to the base. Let's move out Strike One."

With that command, the squad made its way towards its positions.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Benson ==<p>

The two silently approached the southern entranceway as they noted that there were three enemy Mutons crowding around a table playing cards. Smokey looked back and saw that everyone was in position waiting for the move to be made. Seeing the other ready he signaled Benson to toss the grenade. Benson took the hint and pulled the pin on the grenade before counting to three in her head. Once she hit three the grenade was rolled into the church. The resulting explosion incinerated the three Mutons who had no time to react before being turned to ash.

* * *

><p>== With Prophet ==<p>

Prophet had observed that two Thin Men were on her side of the church facing towards the western gate. Seeing her prey distracted she waited for the grenade to get their attention. When the explosion occurred, the two enemies started running towards the church to see what had happened. Prophet lined up her rifle and unleashed a laser stream that incinerated the first Thin Man that was closest to the church. The other one stopped and started firing on her position pinning her down.

* * *

><p>== With Renegade ==<p>

Renegade wasn't fairing much better as he was also pinned down by a persistent Thin Man. Renegade was also up against two Thin Men and had managed to take out one of them that had ran towards the church. He hoped that Ghost could help him out as his cover wasn't going to last much longer.

* * *

><p>== With Ghost ==<p>

Seeing his friend's predicament, Ghost opened up with his Barrett sending brain matter and noxious green gas expelling from the alien as his first shot connected with its forehead. Switching to his .44 Magnum, Ghost gave Renegade the signal to move up as they both advanced up the eastern flank towards the bomb.

* * *

><p>== With Wolfe ==<p>

Wolfe had noticed Prophet's problem and immediately assisted with her Dragunov. She pumped out two laser bolts, as the first one grazed the Thin Man's side while the second one hit center mass. The energy bolt penetrated the alien's heart and caused it to explode into a cloud of noxious fumes as it fell backwards onto the cold pavement. Seeing the trouble resolved, the two females moved up the western flank of the church's graveyard.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Benson ==<p>

The two soldiers advanced into the room noticing that Benson's grenade had completely removed the three aliens from existence. Moving through the church they reached the northern doorway and peered out into the Northern graveyard of the church. They noticed that the bomb was positioned in front of a crypt in the Northeastern corner of the graveyard, and that there were two Mutons guarding it. Realizing the situation, Smokey radioed over to Renegade and Ghost and told them to hold up until the two enemies were dispatched. He then radioed to Wolfe and had her set up her sniper rifle to rain down hell on the two Mutons.

* * *

><p>== With Wolfe and Prophet ==<p>

Wolfe heard Smokey's message and immediately took cover behind the tallest grave in the Western graveyard. Prophet had reached a power node and had deactivated it by flicking the switch located on the node's underside. Wolfe lined up her sights and immediately launched another laser shot that struck the Muton on the left in the face killing him instantly.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Benson ==<p>

Smokey saw the first Muton fall, and immediately opened up on his SAW taking out the second Muton with multiple bullets penetrating his chest and neck, causing instant paralysis and death within a few moments. Seeing the threat was dealt with for the moment, Smokey radioed Wolfe and Prophet and had them take positions behind gravestones and provide Overwatch on the Northwestern portion of the graveyard to prevent any assault from that direction. He and Benson then took cover behind the low wall in front of them, and provided Overwatch on the area directly in front of them. He then radioed Renegade and Ghost to move in and disarm the bomb.

* * *

><p>== With Renegade and Ghost ==<p>

Hearing Smokey's order, the two men moved forward. Ghost stopped at a power node and deactivated it while Renegade reached the bomb and started trying to defuse it. He quickly realized however that he didn't know how to defuse it. He just stood staring at the tall, green glowing bomb like a deer in the headlights. He then turned to the sound of Ghost laughing at him.

"What's so funny Ghost?!" he yelled angrily.

"There's an off switch right in front of you dumbass." Ghost replied in between chuckles.

Renegade then looked back at the bomb and cursed up a storm. Right in front of him was an on off switch similar to a light switch. He then quickly flicked it off and prepared for a assault from the Northeastern corner as the aliens realized that the bomb had been defused.

* * *

><p>== With all three groups ==<p>

The three groups all saw a Thin Man appear in front of them, trying to reach the bomb and defuse it. Wolfe, Ghost and Smokey all opened up on the enemies in their field of view. All three aliens exploded simultaneously, as their bodies were penetrated by a sniper laser, magnum rounds, and light machine gun rounds respectively. The three small gas clouds signaled to the squad that the mission was complete as they turned and headed back to Leon who would take them back to base.

* * *

><p>== Back at the Base ==<p>

The group was welcomed back to congrats and applause from the others as they had successfully disposed of the bomb with no casualties. The members of Strike One thanked everyone for their support, and headed off to do separate things. Prophet and Renegade headed back to their shared rooms for a little R & R as they were anxious to catch up on the activities they'd been doing before the alarm had interrupted their fun. Benson went to take a shower and catch up on the sleep she missed. Wolfe and Ghost went down to the Mess Hall for some chow as they knew they wouldn't be able to sleep for awhile after their mission. Plus, Wolfe wanted to know why Ghost was mercilessly teasing Renegade on the way back. Smokey had to report the mission success to the Commander, and he had to check in with him anyway.

* * *

><p>== In the Commander's Office ==<p>

The Commander was currently pondering over the engineers' discovery as Smokey entered and gave his mission report. The Commander thanked Smokey for his report and asked him to stay behind to talk about something he'd just been informed of.

"Smokey we've found the alien that killed your original teammates."

"How is that possible sir?"

"It turns out that the crystal the Outsider turned into was receiving a signal from a beacon of some sort. When we traced the signal it gave us a location of an underground base they've set up under Munich, Germany."

Smokey for his part was stunned into silence as the Commander continued.

"Seeing as how this alien that killed your team seemed to be in charge, it's a safe bet that he'd be at this location. Also, the fact that we haven't encountered him in battle since then only reinforces this idea."

"When do we assault this base sir?"

"Well, the engineers first have to build us a skeleton key to enter the base, and we have a surprise that needs to be finished researched by the scientists. Once we finish researching this, the engineers can develop it and we can equip your squad with it before you enter the base. Because once you enter that base, we can't get you out until the aliens are all incapacitated."

"I understand sir. Inform me when the conditions are met. I want first crack at this bastard."

"Roger that Javier. Dismissed"

Smokey saluted the Commander and exited the office with one though entering his mind.

'Get ready you bastard. My team shall be avenged.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That's it for this installment of "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors". The next event will be the alien base assault. Remember that all comment and opinions are welcomed for this story. Also, the squad members bios are up on my profile page if you're confused as to who I'm referring to in the story. Until next time, this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	16. Bring the House Down

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry about forgetting to upload yesterday, but schoolwork does come before my writing. Anyway, last time we left Strike One they were ordered to assault the underground alien base. Will they succeed in eliminating the threat? Will Smokey get his revenge on the Sectoid Commander? Find out now in the next chapter of "XCOM: Earth's Guarding Saviors"!**

**Chapter 16: Bring the House Down**

* * *

><p>== On the Skyranger ==<p>

Strike One was currently inbound towards the alien base located underground below the city of Munich, Germany. It had been one week since they was informed that they'd be assaulting the alien base and they were currently all equipped with the surprise that the Commander promised to them.

== Flashback ==

It was the day before the assault, and the Commander had summoned Strike One down to the Engineering department, where Dr. Shen and his team had just finished building the new equipment. All of the soldiers were anxious as they wondered what the surprise they were going to get. It was then that Dr. Shen and the Commander addressed Strike One.

"Thank you guys for coming down here on such short notice. As you are all aware the Skeleton Key was finished three days ago, but I wanted to wait until this was done before sending you guys against the base. I'll now turn it over to Dr. Shen."

"Thank you Commander. Well as you all know, the aliens are getting more and more dangerous as this war progresses. So to better prepare you guys for those dangers we have built our newest creation, Titan Armor."

As he said this, the doors behind him opened and six white and bulky suits of powered armor were wheeled in for Strike One to gaze upon. They were all shocked and stunned that they were going to be the first ones to try out this new armor. Dr. Shen then continued his monologue on the armor's information, which included him describing that it was ten times as effective as the standard armor, it made them invulnerable to fire, and that they could still move effectively despite the armor's size. But what really shocked Strike One was his last comment.

"We've also taken the liberty of customizing each piece of armor to your individual bodies. All these are custom built for you, so nobody else can use them. And for kicks each of your nation's flags have been engraved on the back with each of your nicknames inscribed underneath. Any comments or questions?"

Strike One was flabbergasted by what Dr. Shen had just said. They never expected to receive such gifts, and profusely thanked him as they moved forward to try on the armor and test out its new capabilities in the engineering labs.

== End Flashback ==

Strike One were now going over their final equipment checks as they didn't want anything bad to happen while isolated inside the base. Everybody was equipped the same as the bomb disposal mission, except for Benson who was now carrying an Arc Thrower instead of a grenade. Also, in between the last mission and now Wolfe had been promoted to Corporal and Benson was promoted to Squaddie with a specialty towards the Assault class.

Each member was roused from their thoughts as Leon announced that they were approaching the base's location. Leon then proceeded to insert the Skeleton Key into his dashboard where it emitted a signal from the Skyranger and caused the base to open its roof for what it thought was an Outsider returning from a mission. Leon then turned and gave Strike One the go sign. The soldiers then repelled from the Skyranger and landed in the base signaling the stat of the operation as Leon flew off to set down a safe distance away.

* * *

><p>== In the Base ==<p>

It was the middle of June, and Smokey was having a flashback to that fateful mission his squad had been assigned back in February. He was in the same city and was the facing the same opponent. It brought about a sense of dread in the back of his mind, as he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time he faced the Sectoid Commander in battle. So he decided to address the others as they laid out a plan of attack against the aliens. Unfortunately, they wouldn't get much time as the aliens decided to launch a surprise attack. Six enemies made their presence known as they tossed a grenade towards the soldiers. Thankfully, Smokey was able to alert the others.

"Shit! Grenade Scatter!"

The group split in two as the grenade exploded separating the squad from one another.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey, Benson, and Wolfe (Group 1) ==<p>

Smokey and his group had run to the right staircase to avoid the explosives, when they looked up they realized that they were facing three Mutons that were planning to open up on them with their plasma rifles. Seeing this the squad each took cover behind the ledges on either side of the walkway. Once the beams passed harmlessly overhead, they counterattacked.

Smokey raised up his SAW and unleashed several laser rounds into the lead Muton effectively destroying his breathing apparatus, and caused him to suffocate to death due to being exposed to the Earth's atmosphere. Benson and Wolfe then unleashed a combined attack on the other two with their M4A1 and Dragunov respectively. Their rounds hit center forehead, as the other two Mutons fell, with their brain matter and life leaving their faces as they hit the cold concrete walkway.

* * *

><p>== With Ghost, Renegade, and Prophet (Group 2) ==<p>

Group 2 went up the left staircase after Smokey's warning, and quickly noticed that they had two Mutons and a third slightly bigger Muton who appeared metallic in nature. The two regular Mutons were quickly dispatched by Renegade and Prophet, but Ghost's rounds didn't seem to effect the metallic beast that just continued to charge at them like a blood-crazed berserker.

"Shit, what the hell it's still charging!" shouted Renegade as they noticed that the creature didn't have a weapon except for foot-long claws on its hands that looked similar to Wolverine from X-Men.

"What the fuck do we do now Ghost?!" exclaimed Prophet, as they noticed they had only a few hundred yard separating them from the behemoth bearing down on them.

"Everyone fire together, maybe the combined attack will kill him!" theorized Ghost, as all three lined up their shots. "Fire on three guys! Three!" ordered Ghost as three simultaneous beams were launched and merged together before hitting the creature center mass.

The mechanic Muton looked down and saw the gaping hole in its chest, before collapsing to its knees before the soldiers. Its face contorted into a look of surprise as it collapsed on its side dead from the combined attack.

The three soldiers sighed in relief, as they made their way towards the door where the aliens emerged from.

* * *

><p>== With Group 1 ==<p>

Group 1 had already entered the room their door was connected to and was currently engaged in battle with three Chryssalids that had been in the room napping. Smokey had already dispatched one with his SAW, while Wolfe took one down with her Five Seven. Benson however, had been too slow in firing her round and had been clawed and bitten by the third Chryssalid. Smokey then dispatched it quickly with his SAW. He then ran over to Benson to check if she was okay. The claw marks had been stopped by her armor which was a good sign, but the bite had reached her neck and gotten just under the armor collar. Remembering the civilians that were bitten turned into zombies, he radioed for Prophet.

"Prophet, Benson had been bitten by a Chryssalid. Can you hurry over here with the antidote before the poison kills her and reanimates her?"

"Understood Smokey. I'll hurry over quickly."

* * *

><p>== With Group 2 ==<p>

"We better hurry, Benson has been poisoned guys!"

"Right, let's go guys!" exclaimed Renegade as he charged into the room their door connected to.

Seeing as they were in the same room as the others, they moved forward and prepared to crossover to where the others were when Ghost noticed the explosives attached to the underside of the catwalk connecting the two walkways.

"Watch out guys!" he exclaimed as he pulled the others off the catwalk and threw them to the ground as the explosives detonated. The middle portion of the catwalk had dropped into the abyss below never to be seen again.

"Fuck, now what!" exclaimed Renegade as he threw his hands up in frustration.

"We jump!" shouted Prophet, as she took a running start and managed to clear the three foot gap separating the two sides of the remaining catwalk. The two boys looked on in shock as they had no idea she could jump that far.

"Well hurry up! We don't got all day you two!" proclaimed Prophet as she waved to the two slack jawed men behind her. They both turned to each other and nodded as they both took a running start and leaped across the gap as well. Not a moment later, the catwalk where they had been collapsed and fell into the abyss. The three thanked their lucky stars, and eventually reached Group 1's position.

* * *

><p>== With Strike One ==<p>

The group was finally reunited, as Prophet began giving Benson the antidote that she required, which was in one of her medkits. She also, decided to patch up any other wounds she had received leaving her with two medkits at her disposal. Wolfe having never been a part of a Chryssalid attack, asked why an antidote was necessary. Needless to say, she was horrified at the prospect of becoming a zombie, and let Prophet continue her work uninterrupted.

Finishing the patch up, Strike One moved into the next room, where they noticed a wide open area with structures littered throughout it with blue light flying between them. They deduced that it was a power field of some sort, and decided to avoid walking in that area. They noticed two raised areas on either side of the field and noticed stairs leading to them. However, before they could approach they were accosted by a new creature that had two little black drones following it around. The creature appeared to be a little round circle, that was able to fly through the air.

Thinking nothing of it, Renegade fired upon it, and was surprised that it only scratched it a bit. One of the black drones proceeded to fix the damage, as the other launched a shock attack at the group. They were able to dodge, and Prophet dispatched it with her rifle. The disk then began opening up, and transformed into a giant creature, with two cannons at the front of it. The cannons then began charging up two energy blasts to fire at the group.

"OH SHIT! SCATTER" shouted Smokey as the group moved and avoided the twin energy blasts that destroyed the alien power source they were standing around, causing a small explosion. Strike One quickly regained their bearings, and all simultaneously opened fire on the cyber creature. The giant attacked engulfed the creature in energy, and overloaded its wiring and circuits. The sudden influx in energy caused the system to overheat and short circuit creating a massive explosion that engulfed the creature and its little black counterpart. When the smoke cleared, the disk was in one piece, but the drone was incinerated.

Strike One then continued their escapade into the room, where they decided to split up and investigate both of the raised areas simultaneously.

* * *

><p>== With Group 1 ==<p>

The group reached its area, and saw that it appeared to be a small operating area, with tables everywhere that was littered with surgical tools, and anesthetics. They wondered why the aliens would be in need of such equipment, when they noticed some tanks on the wall. On closer investigation they noticed that the tanks were filled with human corpses in stasis. Appalled by the site before them, they proceeded to the end of the room and waited for the others to join them.

* * *

><p>== With Group 2 ==<p>

The group quickly made its way up the stairs, where they were greeted with a grisly site. On one of the tables in front of them was a cut up human body that had been disfigured in ways unimaginable. Renegade took one look at the site, and promptly vomited onto the stairs they just climbed. Ghost and Prophet, both noticed the tanks on the wall and paled at the site of hundreds of corpses laid out in front of them. Both bowed their heads in mourning at the loss of life, and proceeded forward with Renegade to regroup with the others.

== With Strike One ==

As the group was once again reassembled, Smokey noticed the faces of the others and knew exactly what happened. He called for a group prayer session for the others to pray for the deceased souls. They also prayed for a quick end to the war, and hopefully to make it back home safely. After the session, they opened the door and crossed the walkway into the next room.

The room itself opened onto a room that had a raised area, accessible by two ramps, and a lower platform with instruments and a strange beacon emitting an orange beam to the sky. They deduced that this was the way that the aliens communicated with each other, and made a note to secure it for extraction back to the base. Before they could strategize, the Sectoid Commander made his presence known, and sent his last group of nine bodyguards after the soldiers. They proceeded to split up and try to vanquish the remaining aliens.

* * *

><p>== With Ghost and Wolfe ==<p>

Both snipers had managed to run up the ramp, and noticed a disco ball spinning from the roof and sending off beams of colored light around the room. Both sweatdropped at the implication of the aliens dancing for entertainment.

"At least they aren't playing computer games." quipped Ghost, as Wolfe sighed and slapped him for losing focus on their current predicament. The two then saw that three Floaters were flying up to attack them. Wolfe opened up with her Dragunov, and managed to hit one of them in the face, sending him careening back to the floor in a tiny ball of fire. Ghost drew his .44 Magnum and shot at the second creature hitting his jetpack. This caused the alien to lose control mid-flight and crash into the third Floater sending both into the wall of the room causing them to explode. Turning back to the floor, they prepared to assist their comrades with their attackers.

* * *

><p>== With Renegade and Prophet ==<p>

The two lovers were faced with three Mutons charging at them with plasma rifles firing away. They took cover behind a instrument panel, and heard the shots hit the panel causing it to shut down from the energy influx. Knowing the time to attack was now, both opened up on a Muton. Said Mutons were hit with two blasts of energy from the laser M4A1's and feel to the ground in a heap with green blood covering the floor. The third Muton shot at the soldiers, and Renegade dove in front of Prophet and took the energy blast for her. As she grabbed Renegade and pulled him behind cover, she prepared to peek back out and fire upon the creature, when an energy blast was heard from above.

The third Muton was hit in the back with a beam that passed through his heart, killing him instantly. As his body hit the floor, Prophet looked up and gave a thank you nod to Wolfe who's gun was still smoking from the beam it expelled. Returning the nod, Wolfe went over to check on the others, while Prophet took out her second medkit and proceeded to heal her injured boyfriend.

* * *

><p>== With Smokey and Benson ==<p>

The remaining two members of Strike One were engaged initially with three Mutons, but they had dispatched two of them fairly easily. The third saw the situation, and ran back to the Sectoid Commander to better protect him, as they prepared for an assault from any direction. The two soldiers had managed to sneak up to the instrument panel behind the Commander and were prepared to strike when a beam of purple energy came from the enemy. He launched his psionic attack and managed to capture Benson with it, entering her mind. As she succumbed to the mind control she turned her rifle on Smokey and prepared to end him.

Seeing the situation Smokey prepared for the worst as he couldn't shoot at the woman that he had grown close to over the past few weeks.

Everything slowed down, as three magnum shots were heard hitting the Commander in the back. The pain caused him to lose his hold on Benson, freeing her from the mind control she was an unknowing victim of. Everyone looked up to see Ghost reloading his pistol and aiming to take out the Commander with another three shots. The Commander saw this coming and pulled his Muton bodyguard in front of him, using his body to absorb the bullets.

The Muton collapsed with a look of shock on his face, as his Commander used him as a meat shield. But, this provided the opening Benson needed as she sent the Arc Thrower attack at the Commander sending the electric volts into his body knocking him out. With the enemies dispatched, Strike One regrouped at the Beacon.

The group then proceeded to secure the Commander in restraints and also looked at the last Muton who was desperately clinging to life as his lungs were destroyed by the bullets. Smokey gave Prophet the nod, who used her last medkit to stabilize the Muton and took him back to the Skyranger. Smokey then gave Benson and Wolfe the orders to secure the bodies, while Ghost was ordered to secure the Beacon for transport back to base.

While the Skyranger was being loaded, Smokey and Renegade began backtracking through the base and planting explosives all throughout the complex. They wanted to make sure that it would never be used again to bring suffering to any member of the human race again. After everyone was finished and secured in the Skyranger, Leon took off and began the flight back to base. After reaching a safe distance, Smokey detonated the explosives causing a massive fireball to engulf the former base. The resulting concussion, caused the walls to collapse in on themselves effectively burying the base for eternity.

The members of Strike One then looked at each other and sighed seeing as how the mission was finally over. They then relaxed and wondered what the future of the war was now that the base was down. They pushed those thoughts away, as each member eventually passed out due to exhaustion from the stressful mission. The only sounds Leon heard on the flight back, were the snores of the soldiers and of course the music coming from Ghost's IPod.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go guys, another chapter is up. I hope I did the mission justice, as its larger when compared to the normal missions in the game. I hope you all enjoyed the plot twist of having two prisoners instead of one, because I was unsure of whether or not to use that. Anyway, let me know how you guys feel about it. See you next time. This is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK**


	17. Victory?

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updates last week. School is back in full swing, and the spring semester of Senior year looks to be very time consuming. I'll update as time allows, but I apologize for not informing you guys beforehand. Anyway, last we left off Strike One brought down the alien base, and managed to capture the Sectoid Commander and an injured Muton. Let's see how things are going for them now that they've taken out the base.**

**Chapter 17: Victory?**

* * *

><p>== At the Base ==<p>

Big Sky had just touched down in the hangar of the XCOM base to a crowd of people waiting for the passengers of the skyranger to exit the craft. Strike One had done the unthinkable, they not only managed to destroy the base used by the Ravagers, but they'd captured the Ravagers' leader, one of his personal bodyguards, and brought back what appeared to be a beacon of some sort. As the ramp lowered from the craft, the members of Strike One were greeted by the sounds of applause and cheers as they'd achieved a big victory over the Ravagers. The members waved and acknowledged the cheers with nods and victory signs. However, two members of the XCOM staff remained unconvinced of the supposed total defeat of the Ravagers. Those members were currently in a conversation in the Conference room away from the others.

"Commander, I'm glad to see that not everyone thinks the aliens are totally defeated." greeted Dr. Vahlen as the Commander pulled her away from the celebration as she was displeased with the situation.

"The feeling is mutual Dr. Vahlen. There is no way that the Ravagers are totally done for. We have two prisoners to interview, plus we have that new machine we confiscated from the base." replied the Commander.

"Yes, my team and I believe that the device somehow acts as a communicator of some sort. If my team can reactivate the beacon, we might be able to see if my hunch is correct."

"Very well said doctor. However, we need you to interrogate our two prisoners first. I'd recommend starting with the Sectoid Commander as the Muton is still in critical condition in the Infirmary."

"Understood Commander. I'll take my leave to get started on the interrogation."

With that being said, Dr. Vahlen left the conference room and proceeded down to the Containment room to start the show.

* * *

><p>== 2 Days Later ==<p>

The interrogation had lasted 48 hours, and the group had gotten no answers from the Sectoid Commander. He refused to crack, before he succumbed to his wounds inflicted by Dr. Vahlen. Just seeing it as a minor setback, Dr. Vahlen took the body down to one of the research laboratories for an autopsy. She saw that the Commander's swollen veins in his forehead contained some psionic fluids that flowed until he finally died. Dr. Vahlen saw that it had been surgically implanted into its skull, and that it could be implemented into their own troops. Seeing this, she recommended for the Commander to start having a Psionic Lab built to test our soldiers for using these Psionic powers the aliens had. She hypothesized that a strong will power meant that the soldier would be able to handle this energy and use it properly in battle. With this new discovery, the Commander started building the requested lab.

* * *

><p>== At the Infirmary ==<p>

Strike One had immediately stopped by the Infirmary to drop off Benson and the Muton to get them medical treatment. They then went their separate ways over the next two days after Benson had been cleared to be discharged. Benson and Smokey went to the Commander to report the mission to him, and then went and hung out together with their newly acquired break time. They'd become extremely close recently, and Smokey had decided to ask her out seeing how he almost lost her on the last mission. Benson had reciprocated his feelings and they were currently working out in the gym.

Renegade and Prophet were spending some quality alone time together as they hadn't gotten any recently and didn't want the new down time to go to waste. They also spent a lot of time gaming, and true to form Renegade lost again as Prophet was better at him in every type of game.

Ghost and Wolfe had both decided to stay at the hospital and watch over the injured Muton. They had been surprised that the Commander had used him as a human shield so readily without thought. They figured that the Muton would be more cooperative because of this fact and wanted to be the ones to watch over him to make sure no one tried to kill him because he was an enemy. Said Muton had been through some harrowing surgery immediately after arriving and had to have a lung transplant due to his being severely damaged by Ghost's .44 Magnum. The Muton then chose this time to wake up.

The creature stirred slowly as it took in its surroundings. The last thing it remembered was the searing pain it felt when the bullets tore apart its lungs, and then passing out from the pain. It then realized that it was in a hospital of some kind as there were machines beeping, and it heard other sounds in the room. It tried to sit up and realized to its horror that it had been restrained to the bed by cuffs, and that its mask had been taken from it. It then took in the two soldiers in front of it, and recognized them as two of the soldiers that had attacked their base. It began to panic as it thought it would be killed as it shouted out, "Please don't kill me!"

Ghost and Wolfe were shocked that the alien before them spoke perfect English, the Muton was surprised to, as it didn't realize that it's lungs were brand new, and had human DNA giving it the ability to speak and breathe the Earth's oxygen when the DNA merged with its own. The alien was in just as much shock as the soldiers as he pondered what happened to him while he was out. It was at this moment that Dr. Vahlen entered the room to check on the patient.

"Ah it is good to see you awake, you gave us quite a scare with those injuries of yours." replied Dr. Vahlen as she looked over the shock on the others' faces.

"Dr. Vahlen, how is it that the alien can now speak and breathe without his apparatus?" asked Ghost, confused about the whole situation.

"Well Ghost, we had to give him a lung transplant after you effectively destroyed his. What we didn't expect was that the human DNA from the lungs mixed with his own and has allowed him to breathe and communicate with us as a normal human."

"That's incredible doctor! I'm impressed with your handiwork." exclaimed Wolfe.

"Thank you Wolfe. Now seeing as the patient is awake, I can talk to them and figure out what it knows about its leaders' plans for us."

The Muton was readily able to communicate with Dr. Vahlen and explained the history of his people. They were from a foreign planet that had be conquered by the Ravagers higher-ups who were searching for resources and enslaved the entire planet. The Mutons were then forced into the armies and fought for the Ravagers ever since. It then went on to say that its planet was destroyed after the resources ran out, and they went on to the next planet and the process repeated itself until they reached Earth. The Muton said that it had been assigned to be a bodyguard for the Sectoid Commander, and he had never seen someone so brutal towards their own soldiers. The Muton finished by saying that he knew nothing else about the leaders, but he was thankful to them for saving its life, and he awaited their judgment.

Seeing the sincerity and emotion in its voice, Dr. Vahlen believed that she would spare him, and would talk to the Commander about keeping the Muton within XCOM's ranks. She left to brief the Commander on the situation as Ghost and Wolfe stayed behind to get to know the Muton better.

"I couldn't help but notice that I never got your name. I feel rude talking to you without ever asking you about it." said Wolfe.

"Well we weren't allowed to use our names, as the Ravagers didn't want is to retain any emotional connections to our home world. So they brainwashed us into forgetting them. As such, I don't remember what it is." replied the Muton sadly.

"Well how about we give you one as a welcoming into XCOM?" asked Ghost.

"That's a good idea, what do you guys have in mind? Please remember that I'm a male."

"How about Johnnie?" asked Ghost.

Wolfe was surprised as she knew it was still a sore subject for Ghost, but remained silent as the Muton mulled over the choice before making a decision.

"I like it. Johnnie will be my new name as we move forward!" exclaimed the Muton as he smiled at the name.

"Welcome to XCOM Johnnie, we're happy to have you." said Wolfe as she gave the newest member a hug. Ghost soon followed with a handshake and bro hug of his own.

"You'll probably be released in a few days. After that, the Commander will decide where you'll be assigned in the Barracks. We'll make sure that you get assigned to us, as we know you'll do best with those you already know. Don't worry the others are just as accepting as us. For now rest, and we'll see you in a few days. Bye Johnnie." Said Ghost as the two soldiers waved goodbye and let the newest soldier relax and gain his strength back.

* * *

><p>== At Ghost's Room ==<p>

"Ghost why'd you give him the name Johnnie?" asked Wolfe.

"Well Tracey, I knew Johnnie wanted me to remember him, after he died. This is the best way I feel like I can do that. Everyday it'll be just like he's back with us. I know he's smiling at us from heaven, and he approves of my decision to honor his memory." replied Ghost.

"I'm glad to see you're moving on from the incident. You really had us worried with your depression after he died."

"I know sorry for that. I'm just glad you guys were there for me to help me get through my mourning and grief."

"No problem Ghost."

"Please Tracey, just call me Eric. I really only like my codename being used on missions, other than that I just want to be regular old Eric."

"You got it Eric." she said, as she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Eric was surprised by the kiss, but allowed her to continue as he shut the door behind him and guided her over to the bed. Needless to say neither were seen for the rest of the day, but they were both glowing when they emerged the next day.

* * *

><p>== 3 Days Later ==<p>

Strike One had gathered together at the training ground for today's training session, much like they had the past two days. All the members had been given promotions after successfully completing the base assault in the manner they did. Smokey was now a Colonel, the highest rank any soldier could achieve, Ghost, Renegade, and Prophet were promoted to Lieutenant, Wolfe was promoted to Corporal, and Benson was promoted to Squaddie and was given an Assault specialization. They were about to start training, when the Commander approached them with Johnnie close behind him. The others were confused as to why he was here, but Ghost and Wolfe already knew and smiled at the thought of him working with them in the future.

"Ah Strike One it is a pleasure to see all of you. I come bearing some news for you all." stated the Commander.

"What's that sir?" asked Smokey curiously.

"Well, seeing as how Johnnie here cooperated fully with Dr. Vahlen's questioning, he has been allowed to join XCOM's ranks as a soldier. He will be joining you guys on missions to help you out, when one of you is unavailable, or wants to have some time off. He's already being given the rank of Squaddie and has a specialty to being a Heavy."

The four soldiers who had no idea about this were shocked. They had no idea that he was able to fight, let only be allowed to join their ranks.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you, Ghost and Wolfe had already told me so much about you guys. I can't wait to work with you guys in the future." said Johnnie as he stepped back behind the Commander.

The soldiers were now in even more shock that he could speak with perfect English, so Ghost and Wolfe took the time to step forward and explain what they found out in the Infirmary with them. They were surprised at the procedure working so well, and saddened about how he was treated. They were happy that Ghost had chosen his name in honor of Johnnie, as it symbolized his moving on from Sing's death back in Operation Falling Savior. The squad took the next couple of hours properly introducing themselves, and getting to know Johnnie better as the Commander left to go work on some paperwork.

* * *

><p>== The Next Day ==<p>

Strike One was training smoothly with Johnnie, as he was able to adjust to their style of training fairly rapidly. He was growing by leaps and bounds under Smokey's leadership and weapons expertise. Likewise, Benson was getting better with her Assault role under Renegade, and was proficient with the Arc Thrower. Prophet had finally learned how to revive a critically wounded teammate, so that they could get back in the battle and fight. Finally, Ghost had Wolfe training even more rigorously in accuracy and weapons maintenance. The new lovers had revealed their relationship to the others, and everyone approved of it wholeheartedly. They were preparing to enter a teamwork exercise, when the alarm sounded throughout the base.

"Strike One to the Hangar! Strike One to the Hangar! We have another team pinned down by the aliens in need of rescue!"

They all looked at each other and immediately raced to the Depot to get outfitted and ran to the Hangar as quickly as humanly possible. They gave Leon a hello wave, and boarded the skyranger rapidly. Once they were inside, Leon immediately shut the ramp, and lifted off towards their next destination. The war had heated back up again, after a short cool down period.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you go guys, another chapter of the saga is up. I'm pleased with the views so far, and hope you guys keep coming back to read. Just a reminder if you don't like something, or you think something works really well then let me know in a review. I strive to make the story as best as I can for you guys and I'd like to know what you guys think. Anyway. until next time this is "The Nasty One" signing off.<strong>

** - PRAK **


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